Life, Love, and Family part 2
by Esther Clemmens
Summary: Hagi leaves to find Saya, but finds she already has a family of her own. Hagi sends letters home explaining what is going on. This is part 2, please read part 1 first so you won't get lost. Part 2 of 5. SERIES COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is the second part of Life, Love, and Family. If you have not read part 1, you will be confused as I've compounded things by adding a few (more like several) characters I dreamed up. Anyways, please enjoy part 2! **

**By the way, I do not own Blood Plus, or the characters or the songs mentioned. If I did, I wouldn't be living in a 1 bedroom apartment. **

Marva finished her tale and sighed. She sat back in the recliner and allowed a silent tear to escape her eye. Claudia stood next to the recliner with one hand on her mother's shoulder. The room was silent for a moment before the questions began.

"So," Clay began as he shifted on the sofa next to his wife, "if he lives on blood, where has he been getting it?"

Marva took a deep breath and then answered, "He's _supposed_ to, but he doesn't because he worried that it will turn him into a monster, like Diva's chevaliers."

Clay nodded as Ray spoke up from his seat on the armrest of the sofa next to Clay's wife, "If he doesn't eat, and he doesn't take blood, how the hell does he survive?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "There are a lot of things he doesn't even understand himself."

"He loves Saya, but she cut off his arm and went to sleep," Bubba began. He was next to the ever silent Dan on the loveseat. "Why does he still trust her?"

"He is her chevalier," Marva stated, "her servent. From what he told me, it is in his blood. He cannot disobey or refuse her. If she calls him, he comes."

"BULLSHIT!" Jim exclaimed as he pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and went outside.

The room fell silent again, as he slammed the front door. Marva slumped forward and pressed her face to her hands. Claudia rubbed her mother's shoulder, reassuring her, "Momma, I'll go talk to Jim."

Marva nodded as she looked up to the remaining people in the room, searching their expressions. Bubba had a look of insatiable curiosity, for every question answered, he had at least 10 more. Ray and Clay looked shocked, but they seemed to trust that what was said was true. Clay's wife looked frightened, she clung to her husband's arm as her eyes kept glancing over to the window. Marva held back a laugh as she thought,_ don't worry, he's not coming back._ That thought troubled Marva, but she put it aside. There was still time before that aweful day would come. Dan's expression was surprisingly impassive. It seemed almost like Hagi's own placid, expressionless face.

She was surprised when he spoke. "I knew there was something special about him," he muttered to no one in particular. He stared straight ahead.

"Jim?" the young woman asked as she stepped onto the porch. The bug zapper illuminated the porch with an eerie lavender-blue light. She reached back inside to turn the porch light on which bathed the porch in a yellow glow. Jim was leaning on the railing as Claudia leaned against the wall near the porch light. She had decided to grow her hair out again, but it was still very short, leaving her with dark brown ringlets covering her head. The porch light reflected off them causing a honey colored halo around her head. She had become a beautiful young woman. She wore a baby blue sundress and a pair of fluffy house shoes.

Jim turned his face to her after a few minutes.

"Jim, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true."

He didn't respond. He turned his head to the side and spit the brownish liquid off the porch.

Claudia ignored this and continued, "The night he saved me, he lost control a bit. He jumped from the second story window, he landed on his feet while carrying me and carried me home. When he carried me, we were moving so fast, I thought we were on a motorcycle, but Jim, we weren't. He was running."

"You were drunk."

"I was not, Jim. I went to the party and stood against the wall while the others got drunk. That boy came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go home. I told him yes, so he said let me just go get my jacket. He led me up to the bedroom where… it… happened."

"Claudia, do you really expect me to believe that _he's_ a vampire?"

"How else do you explain it?" She folded her arms over her chest and waited for an answer from the aging man.

He thought about it, He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he rarely speaks. He's also impossibly handsome. The girls find him irresistable, as well as some of the boys. He drinks blood? I've never seen him do that. He never tans, either, but vampires can't go out in the sunlight. But what was it Marva called him? Chi-rop-ter-an… sounds weird. He's supposed to be some kind of monster. I've never seen that boy as anything other than himself- but he sure is good with those daggers. He even took down a 10 point buck last year and carried the thing back over his shoulders! Jim shook his head, "I just can't wrap my head around this." He walked to the steps and left for the cabin. He just couldn't believe this.

Claudia sighed and went back inside. She heard Marva warn the group gathered before her, "Now, it should go without saying, you can never let what was said here leave this group."

This brought on a roar of laughter and then Bubba's voice rose above the laughter, "Who the hell would believe us, Marva?"

Claudia slowly entered the room and sighed as she gave her mother a look that said- I tried. Marva nodded. "Well, Jim is having trouble with this," she mumbled to herself.

"Just give him time," Dan said.

"You guys are taking this well," she commented. She really was surprised at how well.

"Marva," Ray said, "you forget, we were all there the first day he rode with us to cut the calves from the cows."

Marva recalled the story that Jim had relayed to her. Hagi had rode Fury down to the valley where the hands were riding through the herd, driving the yearlings to the right and the cows to the left. He rode in among them. Bubba shouted for Hagi to take the outside and push the yearlings into a tight herd while Jim and Ray pushed the cows further away. Hagi didn't see one of the large females had strayed, he was busy pressing the yearlings together as he watched Bubba round up the strays. The old cow was snorting nervously and began to charge. Ray shouted, but it was too late. The female charged and Fury panicked. Fury reared up and struck out at the cow, causing Hagi to lose his balance and fall off. The yearlings stampeded in the opposite direction, but not before a few confused calves stammered back, crushing Hagi's right leg. He screamed in pain. When Bubba had got him back to the main house, Hagi was limping and his leg was healing! Hagi just said that it wasn't as serious as everyone thought.

"We have been dying to get someone to give us an answer to what happened that day," Dan informed, "but no one would give one. I ran up when I heard the scream. Hagi's leg was crushed and by evening, he was fine. Of course we believe you, Marva, Jim's just… Jim."

Things began to calm down around the ranch, the daily routines and chores kept everyone going. They were all intensely curious about what Hagi was up to. They had heard numerous reports of bizarre attacks that were occurring around the world. There were attacks on people that were drained of blood. Much of these reports were explained as terrorist attacks, but those at the ranch knew better. It had been a year since Hagi left. He sent letters every other month to Marva. He had been watching Saya from a distance. When he had arrived at her sleeping place, she had already awakened and was being carried to a man's house. The man kept a close eye on her and decided to raise her as his daughter. Hagi never mentioned last names. The name of the man she calls 'Dad' is George, he had two adopted sons- Kai, the older and Riku, the younger. Saya lives with them and laughs with them.

Hagi cannot interfere, he notices the Red Shield members are watching too closely. He plays his cello every day in a local market and at night he hunts chiropterans. He picked a spot she has to pass on her way from the clinic to play his cello. He feels that maybe she would hear the song and it would jog her memory and give him an advantage.

One day, he was playing a tune requested by a young woman when a young boy appeared and handed him a cold bottle of water. He recognized the boy immediately- it was Riku. Hagi thanked the boy and placed the bottle of water under his seat.

"Aren't you thirsty?" Riku asked.

"Not right now, thank you," Hagi responded as he began to play another tune. A lady dropped some money in the opened cello case, it joined the other money that was already given.

"I've never seen you here before," Riku commented, "you're new around here, huh?"

"Yes."

"Why do you play here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be playing in an orchestra or something?"

"I am looking for someone," Hagi responded as he kept playing.

Riku took his stiff expression as sadness, "Is it a girl? You look like you're sad, is she why you're sad?"

Hagi just answered, "Yes."

Riku continued to chatter away and Hagi kept playing. He enjoyed the boy's company, but he was carefully watching his surroundings, making certain that the Red Shield was did not notice him.

The young man noticed how late it was getting and he headed back to the family home.

Hagi put the cello back in the case and disappeared, leaving the bottle of water where he'd placed it earlier.

The next day, Hagi set up and began playing in front of an empty store front. It was next door to a small café. He knew he'd draw a slightly larger crowd, and he knew that if there was a crowd surrounding him, it would hide him from any Red Shield operatives that might spot him. He had watched Saya from a distance all night. She seemed to be happy now. She's smiling now, those big wide grins that were often accompanied by carefree laughter. He noticed she hadn't done that in more than a century. How he wished he could just leave her like this, he could never give her those smiles- not now or ever again. The thought sent a ache through him.

He knew he could never let her give up her goal, because the Red Shield would eventually become impatient and then find a way to force her to fully awaken. Then, there would be a repeat of what happened at Vietnam. He needed to be there to protect her from these humans that would use her for their own agendas. Just then, he caught her scent on the air. A crowd had gathered around him as he played the song she taught him all those years ago. He could feel her presence near him, but he didn't dare miss a note or stop playing.

Suddenly he heard her cry out, "Stop!" The crowd all turned to see her sprawled in a giant planter. He poked his head through the crowd to see a very red and embarrassed Saya dust herself off and quickly exit the scene.

Hagi had battled chiropterans while Saya had enjoyed her family this year, but he could sense it in the air, her time of blissful ignorance was about to come to an end. He had been tracking a chiropteran for a couple of days now.

The sun had left the sky by the time the chiropteran was on the move again. It was headed for Saya's school. Hagi had found it in a large tree, he was about to climb it when he felt Saya's presence. She had jumped the iron fence that surrounded the school.

Saya felt a chill as she found her way through the school yard. It was a little creepy in the dark. She saw a silhouette of a man with some sort of large case on his back. He wore a long coat with tails and his wavy hair pulled up in the back of his head. She sensed he was no real threat, at first, but then he spoke, "So we finally meet," and produced a dagger.

Saya's eyes widened in fear as she turned to run. She ran as fast as she could when she smashed into a man and screamed.

Marva and Jim walked to the mailbox chatting about the upcoming sale of the cattle. Jim opened the mailbox and pulled out the stack of bills and junk mail and handed it to Marva. She sorted through the letters until she found one with no return address, but the address to the ranch was hand written is scrolling letters that were very neat. Hagi's handwriting seemed so romantic, like a ghost from long ago come to life on paper.

"Oh, so he sent you another letter," Jim commented.

"Another adventure," Marva muttered. She was always excited to hear news of what her adopted son was up to, but she always dreaded it, too. He never gave last names or specific cities. He gave the names of the countries he was in. This concerned Marva, to her it seemed like he was trying to break all ties to his life with them. She worried that he wasn't going to try to convince Saya to continue to live. If Saya died, she knew Hagi wouldn't want to continue his life without her. The very thought of what he had planned tore at Marva's heart.

"Did you hear what I said?" Jim asked loudly.

Marva was startled from her thoughts as Jim called to her, "What?"

"I asked if you wanted to sell all the 3 year olds this year or did you want to keep any?"

"Oh," she said absently. "This one's from Vietnam. I hope everything's well."

"Marva," Jim turned her to face him, "I need you to come back to the U.S. for a minute."

"Jim, you know what to do with the cattle better than me," she decided as she opened the letter.

"You're not gonna read it to the guys?"

"Oh… I just wanted to check it out first- mother's intuition."

The men looked forward to the letters. It was like stories being told by the campfire, but Hagi mostly spoke of the fighting and the Red Shield. He clearly didn't trust the Red Shield. She remembered when Hagi told her of the last time he dealt with them.

Vietnam 1972

Hagi was staying with the Red Shield. Saya had been entrusted to their care as she slept. She worked with them during the Korean War and felt they were trustworthy allies. What was good enough for her was good enough for Hagi. When she fell asleep, after the war ended, they put her into a crate to keep her safe. Hagi would come and go for the next 18 years, when he was asked to give some of his blood to awaken Saya. The operatives claimed they were certain Diva was awake. Hagi knew Saya would be upset if she missed this opportunity to end the war. He allowed them to draw his blood, but when she awakened, she was out of control. She slashed through everything in her path, including him, but Diva never showed. Hagi lost his trust in the Red Shield along with his arm.

After dinner, the men relaxed in the living room while Marva read the letter aloud. Hagi spoke of how Saya was undercover in a private school, looking for the Phantom. The Red Shield had put him in place as a grounds keeper so he could keep an eye on Saya. She had battled the Phantom, but the Phantom ran off because he wanted Saya to be fully awake when they had their final showdown. They headed to a mansion in the swamp where they encountered children being turned into chiropterans by the Cinque Fleche company (Hagi then warned them not to use anything made by this company) caused him to lose one of his legs, but Diva's chevaliers had already rescued the crate holding Diva. The Red Shield believed Diva was headed to Russia, so they were following. Saya still was not awake, but Hagi felt that she needed to slowly awaken, her mind could not handle the full truth at once. David was impatient, though. He then requested that Bubba make sure Fury gets a couple of carrots and an apple in his absence.

The men moaned as the letter ended. Jim wondered how Hagi would have reacted to all the attention his letters were getting. He still had trouble with the idea of Pretty Boy was some kind of monster-super hero. This was beginning to sound too much like a comic book.


	2. Chapter 2

Claudia stood at the highest level of the Eiffel Tower. The sunset was as beautiful as her mother told her. She almost expected to see Hagi there, playing his cello. She smiled at the thought, she missed her brother.

"Claudia," a deep voice nearly whispered behind her. She whipped around to see a dark figure coming out of the shadows cast by the sunset. He carried a cello case on his back and she could make out the waves of his loose strands of ebony hair.

"Hagi!" she shouted as she nearly jumped into his arms. "Oh, I have missed you, Big Brother!"

Hagi hugged her back slightly and wondered, "I thought you were in Italy."

"I was, but they wanted me to learn some things that are done for their French customers," she blubbered excitedly, "It's great to see you. Why are you here and not in Japan with Saya?"

"We are searching for Diva and her chevaliers. We will be leaving by boat tomorrow." He avoided Claudia's eyes. He didn't want her to see his troubled thoughts. He knew he had all but given up. Saya was so innocent now and he knew that even if she won this war with Diva, all he could ever bring her was awful memories of war and blood. That the only memories his face would bring her would be of war and death. He would only be a living reminder of all the pain and heartache chiropterans had brought to the world. He would not be able to live with that. She deserved better than that- better than him.

"Hagi," Claudia noticed, "you've changed. There's no longer any hint of joy in your face. There was always a slight glow of hope behind your eyes, but now, it's like the spark is gone. There's nothing but loneliness and hopelessness. A black hole." Tears spilled from her eyes as she spoke the last words. "I cannot help you out of this, can I?"

He looked down at the concrete beneath his feet. "Claudia," he whispered, "I'm sorry. Saya is happier without me. She has a family now and they make her smile."

"Dammit, Hagi, you have a family, too. You can share your memories with her. They're not all bad. Why do you always assume doom and gloom all the time? Don't you remember how Mom never gave up on Dad, even when the doctors gave up hope? She never gave up hope that you'd get the lesson behind your staying with us. She wanted you to see that life is worth living, family is worth loving, and love is worth fighting for," Claudia stepped back from him.

Her frantic behavior and hard words reminded him of Kai. It sounds like something he would say. He was disrupted from his musings when a dagger whizzing by his cheek. He heard it land with a thud against the wall, but it sent two darkly dressed men running. She called after them, "You better run, or the next time, I'll aim for your head!"

"You have improved, Claudia. That was very fast- for a human," he complimented, but she caught the playful note in the last part.

She smiled as she walked past him. "I had a good teacher."

She retrieved the dagger and grabbed his arm. She stared up into his eyes with a stern expression on her face. She put the dagger to his face and said, "No murder suicide pacts- I don't care what she says. I may not be blood related to you, but I am still your sister. No blood will ever change that, Brother, ever."

He stood his ground with the same stoic expression.

She folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow, "Do I need to come with you to make sure you try?"

"No," he answered flatly. There were already too many people involved in this war, he didn't want anyone else to get hurt. He longed to reveal his heart to Saya, but he was still apprehensive. What if she rejected him?

He decided he would give it a try, for her and for the woman who called him son, but mostly for himself and Saya. He embraced her in a true hug, holding her tightly. _My sister,_ he thought, _my family._

Claudia broke the moment with him and suggested, "You know, Big Brother, if you and Saya would just…"

"Don't say it, Claudia," he interrupted. He saw the wicked little smile creep onto her lips and the vulgar little glimmer in her eye. "You're supposed to be my little sister, not one of the ranch hands."

She giggled wickedly. Hagi thought,_ She really is like Kai. I hope they get to meet one day. _

The letters came every month now. Hagi updated them on the progress of the Red Shield, Saya, and Diva. They continued on in their daily work, but found it hard to keep from chatting with one another about what would happen next.

Marva went out to the mailbox to await the letter she knew was coming. In Hagi's last letter, the Red Shield had found Saya and him at the Zoo and Saya had to give Riku her blood to save his life. She regretted it so much. But the boy was recovering well and began to dress in clothes very similar to Hagi (this brought on groans from the guys). "Oh, no," Bubba moaned, "his outdated styles are spreading."

She found the newest letter and looked up at the cloudy autumn sky. "Hagi, wherever you are, be safe," she stated. "This is the only way I can think to communicate what is happening, since you never leave a return address. Claudia is learning fast, she's been in Paris for a short while, learning about the Paris end of the business she's working for. We sold all the 3 year olds this year since we have so many two and one year olds to replace them. All the breeding cows are pregnant. Oh, and Dan has been selling wine to local venders and over the internet, as well. The ranch is becoming rich and we will have a very, very good year this year, provided the weather is good." She sighed, "Hagi, we miss you so much and we're all worried about you- even Jim."

Marva opened the letter later that night and prepared to read it to the anxious group of men. She hadn't even read the greeting, but the guys were already on the edge of their seats. She loved to build the suspense by fumbling with the paper and fiddling with her reading glasses.

"Oh, I can't wait to hear what Pretty Boy's been up to this month," Clay announced excitedly as he rubbed his hands together near the fireplace. Winter had just laid a thin blanket of snow, which was rare here. The men would normally be out enjoying the rare occasion, but getting news from their comrade was more exciting.

Ray leaned back into the sofa and stretched out. "Oh, yeah," Ray commented, "he sure has us all waiting like women waiting for the next episode of their favorite soap opera. You know, he never speaks much, but he sure can write."

Everyone chuckled.

Marva cleared her throat and began to read:

_Dearest Marva,_

_I hope this letter finds you, the ranch, and everyone well. I'm sure winter has set in by now and the cold air has brought some relief from the stifling heat of summer. It is beginning to get cold here, soon snow will fall._

_There has been a great tragedy since I last wrote. The ship was ambushed by Diva and the Phantom. The Phantom distracted Saya and I while Diva chased Riku and Kai throughout the ship. We did not know what Diva was really planning until it was too late, we chased the Phantom below deck where we found Diva. Kai was knocked unconscious against a wall and Riku was crystallizing at Divas feet. She had had her way with Riku and then given him her blood. Because he is a chevalier, her blood is poisonous to him. Saya is distraught. _

_We had to abandon the Red Shield headquarters. I am still not certain of how it happened or what had happened, but Saya and I ended up in the water. Saya was knocked unconscious, so I held her close to me to keep her as warm as possible as I swam us to the nearest shore. _

_I surveyed an abandoned shipyard and found a suitable place for Saya to recuperate, built a fire and raced from building to building searching for blankets. I found some old canvas and set to work at removing Saya's wet clothes and wrapping her in the dry canvas, and then myself. I hung our soaked clothing over some crumbling wooden frames. It would do for now, but we needed to find a less conspicuous place to hide out. It could wait until Saya was stronger. I sat on the floor next to her and pulled her into my arms. She was still shivering and cold to the touch. She needed blood, so I sliced my hand and took a mouthful. I made certain her mouth was open, placed my lips over hers, and released my blood into her mouth. I watched her to make sure she swallowed every drop. I was thankful for her unconscious state, otherwise she would have refused again._

_She still needs more blood, but it will do for now. I watched her as she stopped shivering and her wounds healed. I went to find some food for her just before dawn and returned just before she awakened. She pulled the canvas up around her as I brought the food to her. She looked up at me and blushed, I am sot certain why. I suppose she has not retained all her memories, yet. After her eyes turned to the food, she let out a sob and laid back down and told me she did not want to eat. _

_I am greatly concerned for her as she refuses to eat and her face is usually covered with tears. I know she is grieving for not only her brother, but all those we have lost, including her father. I am not certain if she can come out of this depression._

At this point, the guys were shouting, "Man, Pretty Boy, just let her cry. Hold her and let her cry!" They all seemed to know what to do. Marva stood and shouted for everyone to calm down. When the room calmed down, she continued.

_I have found an abandoned house where Saya and I have taken refuge. We have had to kill a few chiropterans that were in the area, but we are safe, for now. She has begun to take blood from me, but only when she absolutely needs it. I have explained to her that she needs all she can get if she wishes to continue to fight. She doesn't respond. She still cries for Riku at night while I watch out the window for chiropterans. I will go to her at times and brush the hair away from her face and wipe the tears away. _

_After a week there, I finally asked her if I could speak to her. She nodded with a questioning look on her face. I told her that when she killed Diva, I wanted her to continue to live. _

This brought on a bunch of cheers from the guys. Marva heard one of the men say, "FINALLY, he said it!" She waited for them to calm down before she continued.

_She was obviously shocked. I told her that Kai had said he would take care of her and she should have a chance at happiness. She asked me, "How many people had to suffer because we exist? How many more will die so that we may continue to exist?"_

_She began to leave and I told her she was too weak to go out alone, but she then slapped me and asked me if I still thought she was weak. I know I deserved it, I should have never spoken against her. I am concerned though, I don't want to keep the promise, but I know the blood in my veins will not allow me to refuse her orders._

_We are on the move again. We fight chiropterans as we travel, but Saya and I rarely speak to one another. I cannot wait for this war to end. _

_I have also enclosed the lyrics to a song that Angie's group has been working on. Please give it to her with my regards and let them know that I appreciate being able to play in their band for a short time._

_I appreciate all you have done for me over the past three decades. There are no words to express how much. Please, give the men my regards, as well, and please give Fury an apple for me._

_Sincerely,_

_Hagi_

Marva held the lyrics in her hand and read aloud to the men. The room became silent as Marva finished the last verse.

"His love song to her," a woman's voice spoke from the entry way to the living room. The men turned to see Clay's wife. They waited for her to sit next to Clay and grabbed his hand. She looked at their clasped hands before admitting, "When I learned what he was, I was terrified. I couldn't believe that we all had lived along side a monster and never noticed." Marva shifted in her seat. The woman continued, "Now that I've heard his letters, I've realized, he's not a monster at all. I feel so sorry for him, he is so lonely."

"When I first met him," Marva explained, "I felt sorry for him, as well. Over the years, Hagi became a part of my family and I noticed how much he loved Saya. He endures decades of torment, yearning to hold her again for a short time before she sleeps the next 30 years. He does it out of love and he will continue to do it forever."

Almost one year had passed since the ship had sank. Hagi finished wiping off Saya's sword and sheathed it. They had just slain 5 chiropterans as they traveled through England. He placed the sword in the secret compartment over the folded piece of paper containing a copy of the lyrics that were sent to Marva. The words he longed to tell Saya, but couldn't, were written on the paper_. _

A familiar scent caught his attention as he heard a growl of a chiropteran coming from the same direction as the smell. He turned to see Saya's eyes glowing red. She called for her sword. They took off into the darkness.

Hagi arrive first and saw two men trying to slay a three chiropterans using guns. "Foolish," he muttered. One of the chiropterans attacked the portly black man and Hagi threw his cello case, knocking the chiropteran over. Saya entered the scene. She killed two of them, but was too weak to finish off the third. Kai asked, "You are Saya, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

The next letter arrived early summer. Marva was helping Claudia move in to her new place in New York City. Claudia had been very successful with the designer she worked for and was given a job in New York working with runway designers and perfecting the upcoming summer line. She was so busy with work, that she had no time to fix up her new home. Marva stayed to help her settle in. She told the men she would return this fall. After all, the men pretty much ran the ranch on their own anyway.

She told Jim that if he received a letter from Hagi, that the men could continue to read them just as if she was there. She loved to watch their faces light up when they saw her carrying one of those letters with her address ornately written on the front of a plain envelope. She warned them before leaving that if they failed to relay the content of each letter to her, there would be hell to pay. The next few letters described England and the battles they fought.

Dan was going over the books for the winery while Ellen, Clay's wife, went through the bills for the ranch. Marva put her in charge of the purse strings while she was away. Ellen had a bookkeeping degree that Marva thought it would be good to put to use. Jim entered the room and laid down a stack of bills and junk mail and then waved a single envelope with familiar handwriting in the addressee section. He tossed it in front of Dan.

Dan looked up at Jim, "Oh, you want me to read tonight?"

"Yeah," he answered, "you do such a great job." He settled himself in the seat near the window, chewing on a toothpick. He watched Bubba leading Fury around the front of the house. "Hmph," he mused quietly, "that horse still won't let anyone else ride him." The young man (Joey) Marva had hired to take over with the hunting expeditions rode up and brought a couple of quail inside the house. Ray had decided it was time to retire and so had Jim. Bubba was going to take over Jim's job and they were looking to hire Claudia's ex boyfriend, Gary, to take care of the horses and help with the cattle.

Jim had asked Marva to hire a cook and a maid for the main house, since the men ate there and she would be gone a lot helping Claudia. Hagi had mentioned in one of his letters about Saya's coming hibernation, so he may be coming back home, as well. He remembered the boy didn't eat much and was extremely neat. His room always looked like no one stayed there, except for the neatly hung suits in the closet (all black) and , when he was there, the cello case propped against the wall. Any sheet music he used would be neatly stacked on the dresser near the television, which he rarely used. Another reason he always seemed so mysterious. There were two photos on his wall. One was of him at the Eiffel Tower playing the cello and the other was a family photo taken a few years back. The boy new how to keep his secrets, that's for sure.

There were pictures of Diva plastered all over the internet. She was having some huge concerts in England soon and then she'd be coming to New York for the last one. Hagi said that Saya and Diva were twins, but their eye color was different. Saya looked like Diva, but with wine colored eyes that burned crimson when she was angry. She sounded beautiful, yet dangerous.

_He may bring Saya back with him- no, Saya had her own family now, and besides she wants him to kill… _Jim stopped his own thought._ What's the matter with these kids today? How could he? I know he's in love with her, so how is he going to be able to kill her? _Jim knew, from Hagi's letters and from Marva's description, that chevaliers can only be killed by three things, and queens could only be killed by their sister queen's blood or having their head cut off. Only one scenario fit. _Hagi took in a mouthful of Diva's blood and walked over to Saya. He embraced her and gave her a deep kiss, releasing the toxic blood into her mouth as he swallowed some himself- the kiss of death. They would collapse into each other as they took their last breath. _Jim shuddered at this image.

"Jim, you okay?" Ellen asked.

He looked up at the pair of eyes staring back at him. He cleared his throat and answered, "Yeah, fine." Not wanting to relay his previous thought, Jim changed the subject. "So, how's the winery doing?"

"Oh, it's getting better and better." He handed Jim the books to show him the numbers. "See? We actually would be doing more than double if I had someone to go speak to the higher class clients."

"Why, can't they buy online like everyone else?" Ellen asked.

"It's simply the way business is done with them. I just don't have the conversation skills to do it. I just know how to grow the grapes and make the wine."

"Well, when Hagi gets back…" Ellen brightened, but then her face fell in realization. Hagi's latest letter had mentioned the promise. No one wanted to speak- no one could speak.

Dan rose from the table with his books. They watched him as he walked outside and headed to the winery. He had grown quite fond of the quiet chevalier. They had worked together, side by side, building the winery, harvesting grapes, and making wine. He had poured all he knew into the young man that he may never see again. Silent tears fell from his eyes as he entered the place that they had built and given so much to. The winery was a success and would surpass the hunting lodges as the largest source of income for the ranch, but there was no celebration. No one felt like celebrating.

Dinner was a quiet affair and the men gathered in the living room as the new hired hands were given "dish duty" in the kitchen. They made themselves comfortable as Ellen came in and settled next to Clay on the loveseat. Dan handed the letter back to Jim, "I can't read it."

Jim nodded in understanding and took out his pocket knife and carefully slid the blade across the top of the envelope and pulled out the neatly folded letter. He cleared his throat and read:

_Dearest Marva,_

_Much has occurred here in England. Since we have found Kai and the remaining members of the Red Shield, I have watched Saya's demeanor change from a guarded soldier to something much closer to the person I know her to be. I think Kai will be the one to convince her to live. He can make her happy, and all I can bring her is painful memories of war and death._

This brought on a moan among the group. "When is Hagi gonna get a clue?" Ellen asked as she held her head in her hands.

Jim only smirked as he continued reading aloud:

_I can only hope that she decides to stay with them._

_I hope one day you would like to visit this place, Marva. It is so calm and peaceful. It is sad that we will be leaving for New York soon. It would be nice to get Saya to relax a little more, but time is running short. Her hibernation will begin soon and killing Diva is what is driving her to stay awake. I hope Kai can convince her to live on._

This brought on more moans and complaints. Dan finally spoke up, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm rooting for Kai. If he can convince Saya to keep living, then Hagi will live, too. He'll come back here during her sleep and we can all ban together and talk some sense into the boy."

"Or knock some sense into him," Clay growled under his breath. His shoulder received a quick punch by the blonde woman next to him. Ellen gave him a dirty look to which he responded, "What?"

Jim cleared his throat as he read on:

_We have killed two of Diva's chevaliers. The Phantom was killed here at the farm and James was killed on Christina island. Both times, Diva's chevalier Solomon showed up and helped us. I wonder what his motives are. I know he is our enemy, but I can't help but be envious of him. He told Saya that if he told her he loved her, she wouldn't believe him. I wish I could tell her, but it only cause her more pain on her overtaxed mind, and it would make it more difficult for us during our battles. I would not be able to forgive myself if she got too distracted during a battle because of me._

_Diva has cancelled all of her concerts, except the last one in New York in September. We know that Cinque Fleche's CEO is Solomon Goldsmith, one of Diva's chevaliers, so do not buy any of the products that they are trying to sell. We are not certain what Diva's concert has to do with the Cinque Fleche food supplies that seem to be for sale, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the chiropteran outbreaks in Europe. I am not sure why it isn't happening in the United States yet, but I will let you know when I get more information._

_I know you are seeing pictures of Diva everywhere, by now. She has taken on Riku's form as a distraction to Saya. I believe she thinks that Saya will not be able to harm her if she looks like Saya's beloved little bother.  
_

_Saya's hibernation is coming soon, I only hope that she can stay awake long enough to defeat Diva. It is, after all, her wish._

_I will write again soon. Please, remember to give Fury some carrots for me. I miss you and Claudia right now. I cannot find words to describe the comfort it brought me to have you both near me, giving advice, and making me a part of your lives. When I watch Saya and Kai or Glay, Monique, and the children it makes me miss you all the more._

_Sincerely,_

_Hagi Trudeaux_

The room fell quiet for a minute before Jim finally spoke, eyes still glued to the letter in his hand, "Whew, that's a lot more than he's ever spoken in the 10 years he's been here." He chuckled as he walked to the phone, "I'm gonna have to read the last part to Marva word for word. She's gonna love it."

Jim had gotten so excited about the rare amount of emotion that poured from the boy in the last line that he forgot all about the Red Shield going to New York. It was a forgetful moment Marva would later remind him of every chance she got.

It had been 2 months since the last letter had arrived. Jim had told Marva everything that was going on with the ranch. She was watching a movie as the ceiling fan spun cool air into the living room. Claudia had picked out a beautiful home. It had three large bedrooms, two spacious bathrooms and one half bathroom between the front entrance and the living room. She really didn't need the space, but Marva hoped it was going to one day be filled with the sounds of a lovely family.

Claudia was a woman of the world, she traveled a lot and wasn't really concerned with finding a man to settle down with or have a family. After all, she was only 23 and had her whole life ahead of her. She worked with the designer trying to settle on a runway design that would showcase the fall line now. They were running out of time. The runway for the summer line had already been built, used, and torn down to make way for the next season, which was sneaking up on her fast. Her life was full of deadlines, schedules, and disgruntled models, as well as designers. She found out quickly that her job was actually to be a diplomat rather than a designer. Claudia was the glue that held this raging mass of varied artistic geniuses together. She had met many people in the industry and had become well known to many of the big names. They knew that if Claudia was in charge it WAS going to be done right.

Marva marveled at the resolve of her daughter, she never gave up no matter how impossible it seemed. Marva watched the screen as the two lovers shared a passionate kiss. All the old movies ended like this, but life doesn't always have happy endings. She wondered how Hagi was doing with Saya. She hoped against all odds that Hagi had finally decided to confess his love for her. That would certainly make the girl change her mind.

Claudia and Marva had opted to watch movies mostly. Whenever the television was on there was always some news story about terrorists in other countries and riots caused by one thing or another, but mostly it was commercials for Cinque Fleches energy bars or drinks or that damn Diva. Marva and Claudia couldn't stomach hearing about their son and brother's enemy anymore.

That evening, Jim called Marva to tell her the next letter had come. "Marva, your boy's doing fine," he said. "He tells us that they are trying to stop Diva's performance by destroying the satellite feed. The plan is that Saya and Diva will have their last showdown before the concert even begins, but they don't want to take any chances."

"Fine, fine, Jim," she tried to hurry him along. She was getting tired and was just sick of this concert nonsense. After a minute, it hit her, "Wait a minute, that would mean that the Red Shield is in New York," she demanded.

"Uh, yeah," he stammered, "didn't I tell you last time?"

"No," she fussed, "you forgot to mention that major detail. My son has been here all this time and you forgot to tell me!"

"I- uh, yeah… I mean, no… uh," he stumbled over his own words. He knew he was in some major trouble now.

"The one thing I tell you to do and you don't even do it right?"

Jim cringed at those sharp and loud words. He waited for a second before responding. "He doesn't want anyone to go near that concert or even watch it on tv. Besides, the war will be over before Diva sets one foot on the stage."

Marva sighed, "I suppose you're right. What would I be able to do against a chiropteran?" She laughed at the idea of trying to fight a chiropteran.

Jim chuckled at the thought as well. "Oh, Marva, I have to read this part to you, oh you are gonna laugh!"

_The other day Mao, Kai's friend from school came into Saya's room- much to our surprise. She asked how Saya was feeling and if she could get anything for her. Saya was unsure what to say as the girl seemed to suddenly noticed that I was in the room. She acted as if I had no right to be in that room and proceeded to push me out and slammed the door in my face._

Marva let out a roar of laughter. "Oh, I hope I get to meet this Mao person one day," she managed to say between laughs.

Jim was laughing so hard, Marva could hear him wiping his eyes with his hand, "Dan had a hard time reading that as well. He could barely control his laughter. It sounds like something only Claudia could do to him, but it gets better."

"I can't imagine," she grinned broadly. "Go on! Go on!"

_This morning Saya and I were in the middle of a conversation on the front steps of the apartment we stay in with the Red Shield members. Mao had given Kai a shopping list and sent him out. I am still unsure why she did this as we seemed to already have enough supplies to last a month. He walked past us and said goodbye. He was already out of sight when Mao came out with yet another list and asked where Kai was. Saya replied that he had already left._

_She asked Saya to catch up with him and give him the list, but then made a comment about the things on the list being something Saya would need to help him with. I began to follow Saya when I felt a slender arm snake around mine. Mao asked if she could borrow me to do some chores around the house. I protested, but Saya just said it was okay with her._

Marva and Jim began yet another round of laughing fits. When this subsided, Jim continued:

_She had me changing light bulbs and scrubbing bathtubs,_ Jim's voice faded into a fit of laughter as he tried to picture poor Hagi being bossed around by this young girl he didn't know. "Scrubbing bathtubs? Changing light bulbs?" Marva roared with laughter.

"Oh, but you didn't hear the comment Ellen made at this point," Jim commented.

"Really?" she asked, intrigued, "What was it?"

"She said, 'That girl had a gorgeous man like Hagi for the day and all she could come up with is scrubbing the tub and changing light bulbs?' You should've seen Clay's face!"

Marva was holding her sides as she laughed, "I'll bet he was red-hot angry!"

"As red as an over ripe cherry tomato." They both laughed heartily.

Jim and Marva's laughter subsided as he began to finish the letter, _I was able to finally escape Mao and the ever watchful eye of Lulu around the time the sun was setting. I decided to look out the window in the room where Saya sleeps and compose this letter. _

_I hope that while Kai has Saya alone, he can convince her to live on with him. I don't mind stepping aside and letting her finally have some happiness. I will always watch over her, even if she never feels the same about me. As long as Kai can make her smile again, I am happy._

A glitter of a tear formed in Marva's eye. She whispered shakily, "Go on."

Jim took a moment and assessed the situation. He hated to cause Marva more grief, but decided she was going to force it out of him either way.

_I only wish for her smiles and her happiness. I don't want her to fight anymore. Every time she fights, a bit more light goes out from her eyes. The more blood she sheds, the less she wants to live. _

_I miss the Saya that would tease the staff at the Zoo and weave daisies into crowns and place them on her head, or my head, and sometimes, even Joel's head. She used to braid my hair so tightly and weave ribbons and flowers through it. I would try to pull them out, but she would only giggle and tell me that if I was her friend, I would not destroy her masterpiece. Those days of innocence are now replaced with bloodshed, battle cries, and sharpened blades._

_If Kai has convinced her, I will return home in a week or so. Saya has purchased a dress for the night of the concert. Kai purchased a tuxedo for himself and one for me. Renting would be out of the question since we will be fighting in them. They won't look clean and neatly pressed when the night comes to an end. _

_Please, do not be sad. I have tried to convince Saya, and I have failed. Kai didn't fare much better. When he came in, Saya was teary eyed and full of fake smiles. When I asked her about it, she just said she did not wish to talk about it. So I left her and found Kai. He asked me if I would like to come and stay with him and Saya when this is all over. I simply answered, "If that is what Saya wishes."_

_He stared at me as if I had said something stupid. He finally spoke again, "Hagi, don't you ever want anything for yourself? I see the way you look at Saya, but you never say anything but, 'If that is what Saya wishes'" - mocking me. _

_I did not answer. What does he want me to say? My sole purpose as a chevalier is to put Saya's wants, needs, and desires above my own. I have no right to ask anything of her._

_He ran his hands through his spiked red hair and groaned. He then stood up and looked me in the eyes, putting a hand on my shoulder he softly stated, "You're in love with her." _

_I looked away. _

"_You need to tell her, Hagi. It will make her see things differently. It will make her…"_

_I began to walk away as I interrupted, "It will make her weak in battle. Her wish is to kill Diva- nothing more, nothing less."_

Jim stopped there. He didn't want to continue. Marva sat quietly for a minute and gathered her thoughts. She finally said, "Please fax this to Claudia's office. I think she'll want to read it." She then added, "Jim? Thank you, for everything."

Marva was in bed when Claudia came homeand read the fax on the table. Marva smiled as she heard Claudia laughing out loud. After a few minutes a curse followed by, "Dammit, Hagi!" Marva shut her eyes in sleep, but her dreams were filled with images that reflected the worry she held for her adopted son. He was somewhere nearby, but she wouldn't try to stop him. He had to do this once and for all.


	4. Chapter 4

To all my patient friends out there: I know I don't usually post notes to my writing, but I felt this chapter warrants a comment. **Warning:** this one is a tear jerker.

_**I dedicate this chapter to my wonderful baby sister who lost her husband Sept. 15, 2005 to a drunk driving accident. Much of the grieving scenes are taken from what I watched her go through as she mourned his death. Love ya, Sis!**_

I don't own Blood Plus or the characters and I don't get any money from writing fan fiction so keep the lawyers to yourself, k?

September 2007 New York

"HAAGIIIII!" a scream filled the night air.

Saya reached toward the collapsing opera house as Kai held her back, tears spilling down his face. Saya fought against his grip around her waist as she screamed through the heavy veil of tears that fell from her eyes. She sobbed, "NO, not HAAAGGGIIIIII!" Kai and Louis pulled her into the van and they sped into the night, the bombs falling soon after.

The somber group felt the earth tremble under the speeding van. Saya's heartbreaking sobs brought tears to everyone's eyes, including Van Argiano, who had slinked into the van as soon as he could escape the opera house. He kept whining, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

David's injury was painful and he needed rest, but his anger boiled over. He reached across and grabbed Argiano's collar and pulled him down to meet his gaze, "It's because of you and Cinque Fleches that all this happened." He glared at the weepy Argiano.

Lulu was sitting next to the babies, keeping one eye on them and the other on Saya. _Poor Saya, _she thought_, what could I possibly say to help you right now?_

Lewis dabbed under his sunglasses as he stopped at a red light, "Good old Hagi, always the hero to the end, eh?"

Kai sat up stalk straight in the passenger's seat and glared at Lewis, "Don't say that! Don't you dare say that!"

Lewis looked over at him in shock at his sudden outburst.

Kai shifted his eyes from Lewis to Saya and then, back to Lewis. He made sure Lewis got his point and then said, "Hagi will be fine. Let's just get back to the apartment and sort this all out."

Saya didn't say a word as she dashed into the cramped apartment. Mao and Julia were sitting at the kitchen table staring into the computer screens. Before they could say anything, Saya began weeping and dashed into the bathroom. Kai came in carrying one of the babies followed by Lulu, with the other, then Louis helping David, and finally, Argiano.

Kai sat down and explained what had happened while Julia checked the babies.

The mood of the room should have been joyful- the war had ended, but instead, it was like a funeral.

Saya watched her bitter tears go down the drain with the hot water that spilled off her body. She ached all over, inside and out. The pain inside was overwhelming. She'd have never allowed herself the luxury of fantasies about life after the war- love, family, a future. Hagi had set her mind and her world spinning, changing forever. Five words echoed in her mind, "I will always love you." His deep voice was urging her to live on. She sobbed.

He had tried to convince her before. It was just after Riku had died and Saya and Hagi took shelter in an abandoned house. Saya would barely eat and refused Hagi's blood. He was constantly looking at her with concern in his eyes. His solemn face never changed, but he could never hide the feelings that were expressed in his eyes. She remembered:

_He reached around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest. She cried bitter tears for her little brother as sweet memories of Riku and Dad came rushing into focus. She felt Hagi stroke her hair. She didn't know how he did it. He always knew what she needed before she even knew she needed it. She reached around his shoulders and caressed his back as she wept. For a long while, they stayed this way. _

"_Do you remember the promise?" she asked, not knowing or sensing how those words stung him._

_He looked away. "Of course," he replied flatly._

_She didn't understand why he wouldn't meet her gaze. "Hagi, look at me," she commanded. When he met her gaze, she saw it- she saw that he didn't agree with her at all__! She was about to speak when he interrupted._

"_Saya," he almost whispered, "I think you should give Kai a chance to give you a life of happiness. You deserve that after all you've been through."_

"_How can you even think of it, Hagi?" she asked. "Because of chiropterans, my brother and dad are dead! Joel is dead along with everyone that was on the ship! How many more have to die for our kind to survive?"_

_She got up angrily, ready to storm off. Hagi reached for her arm, "Saya, you're too weak to go out on your own."_

"_And why don't you show any emotion? You and Riku were becoming so close, but you don't even shed a tear. You just look like..." she shouted as she broke free from his grasp and looked him up and down and stretched out her arms to finalize her thought, "you." As she turned to leave, she slapped his stoic face, hoping to elicit at least some expression, but none came. "Maybe none ever will," she thought as she stormed off._

"Oh, Hagi," she sobbed as she slid onto the shower floor and pulled her knees to her chest as if to fend off some physical blow, "I'm sorry."

_Just before the final attack of James Ironside, before Solomon came to fight as her chevalier out of love, it happened again. (Episode- "Beyond All Blood")_

_She awoke from her sleep. She needed to get out of bed, but felt suddenly dizzy. Hagi caught her before she fell. "You cannot fight in this weak condition," Hagi observed._

"_Yes, I have to," she argued._

"_You must wait."_

"_I can't. We're running out of time," she observed. "Too much blood has been shed for me, Hagi. I have to fight. I have to get rid of this blood that pulses through my veins. When I wake up the next time the whole world may be completely controlled by chiropterans. I have no choice but to kill Diva and put an end to everything."_

_Hagi's face showed no emotion as he asked, "Have you to him already? Kai doesn't know about the promise between you and me, does he?"_

"_It's better that he doesn't know. If he ever finds out, I know he'll only try and stop me, and if he does- I know I'll just… break down," she said with tears in her eyes._

_Hagi quietly stood for a moment before he declared, "I'd like you to live on, Saya."_

"_Don't say that! She responded immediately. "We will never be able to co-exist with human beings, Hagi."_

"_But he said he would make a way- for you," he argued._

"_The tomorrow Kai talks about was never really meant for me." She paused before she added, "I'm a chiropteran. I shouldn't dream about tomorrow. That's why I can only live with you. So please say it to me."_

_Hagi's expression hadn't changed, but his eyes were expressing how sad he felt. How badly he wanted to refuse to answer her._

"_Tell me to fight. I'm begging you."_

"_Saya," he began as he clenched his fist. He turned his head away, "will you please fight?"_

_She could sense his sadness and the despair reaching to her. She even thought she saw the glitter of a tear forming in the corner of his eye. "Thank you."_

She poured out her emotions anew. Her heart broke as she sobbed heavily on the shower floor. How could she have not noticed all this time how he felt about her? Even more, that she shared those same feelings for him. Now he was gone.

In the kitchen and living room, Julia and Mao sat at table, dumbfounded, across from Kai and Lewis. Lulu sat on the other sofa with a baby on each side of her, cooing and playing with each one. Julia checked David's wound and sent him to lie down. Joel and Okamura had just arrived. Okamura was about to put a cigarette in his mouth when Mao reached up and snapped it from him. She glanced at the couch where Lulu sat with the babies before glaring at him. He scratched his head and smiled, sheepishly. Argiano stood quietly in the corner, collecting his thoughts.

Kai put his face in his hands and moaned before he looked up. "We need to go back to look for Hagi," He stated.

"Rescue workers are scouring the area as we speak," Lewis informed. "They'll never let you on the site."

"Arrgh!" Kai groaned, rubbing his hands through his now spikey hair as he stood up and went to stare out the window, "So what are we supposed to do? Sit here and wait?"

"We need to get Saya back to Okinawa," Julia answered. "She would be more comfortable there. She'll be going into her long sleep soon."

"What about Hagi!" Kai shouted.

Julia put her finger to her lips and pointed to the bathroom where Saya was showering.

Kai went back at the table and stared each one of them in the face, "He's still alive and needs help."

Lewis answered quietly so as Saya wouldn't hear, "Kai, Hagi's gone. The place was blown to pieces. There's now a crater where we once stood! No chevalier could survive that. Hagi's been blown up along with the Met."

"Hagi is alive!" Kai stated vehemently as he slammed his fists on the table. "We have to go get him."

Mao shook her head as she stood and looked him in the eye, "Kai, I know you want to believe in happily ever after for Saya, but you have to face it- Hagi's gone."

He looked at each person in the room. Each face turned away, as if to say, "I'm sorry."

He stormed into the room to change his clothes.

Saya dried herself and put on her tank top and cotton shorts. She felt completely drained, sore, and utterly lonely. She entered her bedroom. The sight brought fresh tears to her eyes and a new rip in what was left of her tattered heart. Hagi's cello case was propped against the wall, where he'd left it just before they left that evening. He said it would look conspicuous, so he opted to just take his daggers and carried her katana. They were all gone now.

She sobbed as she fingered the intricate design on the case. She couldn't see it through the veil of tears that clouded her eyes. "Hagi," her voice trembled.

His clothes hung in the closet, still awaiting his return. She suddenly felt cold, even though it was summer in New York. She pulled his jacket from the hanger, leaving the shirt and pants still neatly hanging there. She felt the dark fabric envelope her like the grief that tore her apart. She breathed in that familiar masculine scent that was uniquely Hagi: pine resin, blood, rosin, and the faint smell of roses. She curled up in the bed, a weeping mass, with his jacket wrapped around her.

She dozed off for a minute when she faintly heard the bedroom door open.

Kai saw his little sister curled in the bed, tears streaking her face, wrapped in her chevalier's jacket. It brought tears to his eyes and a stab of pain to his heart. He sat next to her.

She opened her eyes, wishing it was Hagi, but Kai put his hand on her shoulder. His eyes were sparkling with tears. She sat up and curled into his arms. "Why, Kai?" she sobbed. "Why? We were all going to be so happy." She wailed, "HAAGGIIII!" before she collapsed into Kai's chest.

Everyone in the living room heard the lament echoing through the small apartment. Julia had to hide her face as her shoulders heaved a sob. Mao went to comfort her as tears fell from her own eyes. Everyone else allowed silent tears to fall; even Argiano wasn't immune to the emotion.

Even as far as ground zero, where the Met once stood, Saya's heartbreaking cry was heard. Rescue workers stopped for a second, not sure where the scream came from. But, deep underground, someone else began struggling to reach the voice that called to him.

Saya's sobs subsided and Kai pulled her up to look into her eyes. She had a look of complete exhaustion. "I know you're falling asleep, but I want you to listen, Saya. Don't lose hope, even when everyone around you has given up, don't you give up. He has been through all kinds of awful stuff that would have killed even the toughest, biggest chiropteran and has ALWAYS returned to you," Kai said. He then commanded, "You cannot lose hope. Not now. Not when you finally have the chance to live the perfect life. He's gonna come back. He's gonna be fine."

Saya clung to Kai's arms. She was so full of grief and couldn't even think. She wanted so badly to sleep, but felt so empty. Empty like the place where he'd stood, watching over her as she slept. She curled back into a ball and Kai tucked the jacket around her. He knew it gave her something to hold on to. Some piece of him that would bring her a bit of comfort in the days to come. "Thank you, Kai," she whispered as he got up to go.

The sun's first rays found Julia and Lulu rocking the infants in their arms, each one with their own little IV blood drip. Julia placed the one she was holding in on of the small bassinets the team managed to scrounge up last night, and went to her laptop. She yawned as typed out her notes. She then slumped with frustration. "I wish I knew more about caring for them," she muttered.

"What do you mean?" a heavily accented voice spoke as Van entered the room.

Julia looked up and greeted, "Good morning, Mr. Argiano. I just meant that I don't know much about how to care for the babies. If only I had more info."

"Would Mr. Amshel's notes be helpful?" he asked.

A shocked gasp came from Julia. "Y-you have Amshel's notes?" she asked. She knew Amshel was Diva's first chevalier and had been studying chiropterans for more than a century. His notes would be invaluable!

"As the manager of the affairs to the Cinque Fleche Corporation I am privy to such information," he stated as he popped a candy into his mouth. A sneaky grin appeared on his face. "I will be willing to share information with you, if the Red Shield will defend me at my arraignment."

Julia knew what that meant. Argiano didn't want to go to jail and she knew the Red Shield may be willing to exchange information. She kept her voice even as she stated, "I will have to speak to David and Joel, first." She overcame an urge to wipe that wicked smile off his smug face with her own bare hand.

Lulu placed the sleeping infant in the crib and went to the refrigerator. She had asked Lewis to boil some eggs because she had noticed how Saya liked them. She grabbed a few and headed to Saya's room.

She quietly crept in and sat by her. Saya was curled up under Hagi's jacket, but wasn't asleep. Tears fell onto the pillow under her head. Lulu patted her side, "Saya, I got you some boiled eggs, I know they're your favorite."

Saya sniffed and curled up tighter.

"Come on and eat. You know how he always worried about you. You don't want him to come back and find you weak and sick. He'll get upset with us for not taking good care of you."

"Hagi's dead," Saya said and sniffled.

"Kai said that we shouldn't give up hope," she responded. "Saya, Hagi is going to be okay, I just know it!" She moved the bowl of boiled eggs even closer to her. "Come on and eat, Saya. You need your strength cause today we go back to Okinawa. I've never been there, but Kai says it's beautiful. The babies seem excited."

"Hagi," Saya wept.

"Hagi will find you," Lulu insisted, "Saya, he has wings- he can fly to Okinawa. We have to take a plane." Lulu's expression fell into a frown. "I've never been on a plane before. Is it scary?"

Saya couldn't help but smile as the thought popped into her mind, "No scarier than Lewis's driving."

Lulu giggled and Saya continued to smile. "So come on and eat," Lulu persisted.

Saya sat up and put an egg in her mouth. She didn't really feel like eating, but Lulu was right. If Hagi returned and saw her weak from lack of food, he'd be upset with Kai and the others for not caring for her. She wanted to believe Hagi was okay. She wanted to believe he was alive.

Kai arrived back at the apartment just before the sun set. It had been a week since the explosion at the Met. It was time to take Saya home. He had gone out every day to help at ground zero, desperate to find Hagi, but always came back, empty handed.

"Come on, man," Lewis fussed as he beat something in a large bowl in the kitchen, "we leave tonight and you're not even packed."

"I'm not going," he announced.

The room went completely still.

"You have to go," David said. "Saya needs you right now."

"Someone needs to look for Hagi," Kai stated emphatically. "Julia can watch Saya..."

"Kai," Lewis interrupted, "you told Saya that you would take care of her. It's one of the reasons she decided to continue living."

"But the main reason she decided to keep living is buried under a crater right now!" Kai pointed out, trying to keep his voice down. "We- I have to find him."

David put a hand on Kai's shoulder and said, "Kai, The Red Shield has operatives helping sift through the rubble, even now. They will find Hagi." He then led Kai toward the living room to the two cooing babies. They were dressed in identical yellow onesies. The two pairs of eyes looked up at Kai and began giggling and reaching for him. "Besides, you promised Saya you'd take care of them."

He picked both the girls up and sighed, "You're right, the best thing to do is get Saya and the girls back to Okinawa." Then he gave David a serious look, "But, if they find Hagi…"

"They will be sure to inform you." David informed, "Besides, Julia wants to get back to the clinic with the new information."


	5. Chapter 5

"Information?" Kai asked.

"Yes," David began to explain, "Van Argiano is turning himself in to the police as later today. He made a deal with Joel early this morning. The Red Shield will defend him at his hearing in exchange for Amshel's notes."

"So, basicly, he's off the hook for what he did in exchange for a bunch of notes," Kai scratched his head. "Have you guys lost it? Argiano was running all those experiments for Cinque Fleche and Diva's chevaliers. He's a creep that needs to get locked up for life!"

"Those notes are invaluable to Julia's research. They will help her understand more about chiropterans and possibly find an antidote for what Cinque Fleche has done," David stated. He gave a rare smile, "Besides, Kai, the ones who are really to blame are all dead now."

Kai leaned back against the wall and murmured, "Diva and her chevaliers." He ran a hand through his red spikes. "It's finally over. Saya can live a normal life and so can we."

David cupped Kai's shoulder, "Come on, Kai, it's time to go home."

Argiano leaned over Julia's laptop. He began typing and ended up at Cinque Fleche's website. He entered his name and password. Music rang out and the words, "Welcome, Van Argiano," appeared on the screen. He smiled smugly as he continued to type.

Julia and Lewis's faces reflected in the screen as Argiano continued to type. All of a sudden, he stopped and stared at the screen, "This wasn't here before."

"Amshel must have password protected his work before the final showdown between Diva and Saya," Julia observed.

Lewis gave out a chuckle and pushed Argiano aside. He sat in the chair and cracked his knuckles as he said, "This is why it's good to have an ex-CIA operative around." He began typing. Suddenly, a beep and the words, "Welcome, Amshel Goldsmith," popped on the screen. Lewis smiled wickedly.

Hagi's eyes burned as he opened them. It was so dark and he could barely breath from the ash and dust that was everywhere. He felt around him, until he found seats nearby. He pulled himself up and felt along the seats with his chiropteran claw, hoping to find a flashlight, or something to see by. He felt along a ways before he felt a slightly warm leg. He felt his way along the leg to feel the fabric of a dress. _A woman._ He thought,_ she must have a purse nearby. _He felt along the seat to the floor and felt the beaded strap of a small beaded purse. He found the latch and opened it. He felt through the contents of mostly makeup and a set of keys, but then smelled the masculine scent of aftershave.

He felt along further until his claw touched a shoe. He ran his hand up the man's leg and then went through his pockets. He felt a key chain and remembered how some humans would have flashlights attached to their key chains. He felt the small ,cylindrical, metal object and found the small button. With a click, the small area he was in became illuminated with a dim, yellowy light. He swayed the flashlight around him to reveal where he had been buried alive. The stone balcony had not broken apart completely and a large piece had wedged itself just above them, encapsulating a small, bedroom- sized portion of the theater and, thankfully, sheltering the very small area from the explosion.

Hagi gave a grateful sigh of relief, but then, his body seized up with a thundering pain. His left arm was gone and he still had the crystallized claw stuck through his chest. He needed blood to help his body regenerate. He looked over the man, had slash marks deeply embedded in his chest and he had no pulse, but his body had not gotten cold. _I must have only been knocked out for a short time,_ he thought. The burning in his chest and throat became more severe. He felt his fangs descend as he reached for the man.

After he had drained the man completely, he sat back on his heels in the aisle. He felt the itchy, burning sensation as his arm regenerated into a claw, not unlike his right side. He groaned. Never again would he play the cello. He would have to wear bandages on both arms now, that is, if he ever got out. He felt his energy level rising, but he was in a lot of pain. His chest wasn't healing because of the crystal. They began to disintegrate, leaving pieces embedded in his chest and back. As his body tried to regenerate, the crystals dug into his newly forming flesh. He cried out in agony, writhing in pain. He needed medical attention, badly. The crystals would have to he removed, but there was no hope for any help here.

He began to look for a good place to begin tunneling his way out, when he noticed the remains of Amshel. There, stuck in a large chunk of red crystal, was Saya's katana. He crawled over and pulled it out. "Saya," he sighed as he blacked out.

Saya felt her hair sway and move behind her ear in the breeze as they boarded the plane. Tears stung her eyes as she heard her name blowing on the breeze. "Hagi," she sobbed as she entered the plane. She was going home.

Kai put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and buried her face in his chest. She sobbed Hagi's name over and over. He embraced her as he managed to settle the two of them into their seats, her sobs subsided. Kai whispered to her, "We will find him, Saya. We will."

She didn't reply. How could she explain? She didn't feel him anymore- didn't smell the wonderful smell of her chevalier. She was certain he was gone and Kai, the eternal optimist, would not be convinced otherwise. She loved her brother, but sometimes, he could be so stubborn.

She watched as New York began to swiftly move by, the plane was taking off. She would be home in about 16 hours. She relaxed in her seat and began to nod off. As the plane leveled off in flight, the fasten seat belt sign went of and Lulu unfastened her belt and went to Saya's bag under the seat where Saya was sleeping.

"What are you up to, Lulu?" Lewis asked from the seat in front of Saya.

"I saw her pack it in her carry-on," Lulu answered as she rummaged through the pink carry-on. She found the neatly folded black fabric and pulled it out. "Ah-hah!" she whispered triumphantly. She unfolded the chevalier's jacket and covered the sleeping queen.

Saya took in a deep pull of his scent and relaxed further into her seat, a small, bittersweet smile graced her lips.

Kai watched from the seat next to his sister as the purple haired girl pulled out the jacket and covered her with it. Kai had learned from the collapse of the Met, just how much Saya loved Hagi. She may not have said it with words, but it was loud and clear in her actions. Kai had felt such strong emotions toward his sister, but was beginning to realize that those feelings were a tangled, complicated ball that would be hard to unwind. He knew that, overall, the main emotion was not of the love a man has for a woman, but as a protector and older brother. He was young and would find someone to love him the way he wanted to be loved. Besides, the man that jacket belonged to would be returning, he just knew it.

Lulu whispered into Saya's ear as she pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, the way that Hagi would have done, "Saya, I know he's not here for you right now, but I know he's still alive and will return, but for now, I will take his place and watch over you." With that, the young girl returned to her seat. She felt lonely without the rest of her family, the shiff, but she found comfort in knowing that she was now part of a new family. She just wanted so much to show how she could be helpful to this family. To show love to them.

Julia had taken out her laptop to revel in her new addiction- Amshel's notes. How could this man have been so warped? All this information he had gathered pointed to numerous cures for ailments that plagued humanity. She saw the ramifications of the wonderful possibilities of the information provided by Argiano. While she navigated the notes, David, in the seat next to her was chatting with Lewis who was across the aisle from him. Lulu listened to the conversation from the seat next to him, keeping one eye on the scenery and the other on Saya.

Mao was dosing in the seat behind them with Okamura next to her, looking through his own notes. The babies were in the seats across from them, strapped in the car seats Joel provided. They were occasionally cooing at each other or sleeping. Julia or Kai would occaisionally get up to check on them. Julia set up small IV drips for the girls and one for the sleeping queen as well.

Hagi awoke with the flashlight in his hand. He clicked it on and searched his surroundings again. It was suddenly much smaller than he remembered. He felt trapped in this narrow space. He darted the beam around himself and then in front. He pulled himself forward with a wince of pain. The crystals in his chest were tearing his internal as well as external flesh with every move.

He finally could take no more. He fell against the side of the gently upward sloping tunnel and cried out in pain. He didn't know how this tunnel had suddenly came into being. There were no tunnels in the space he was in before. He heard someone moving in the tunnel in front of him. He felt for the katana and found it was still in his left claw. He tried his best to ready himself for battle, but there was no room and he wasn't strong enough and the pain was worse than anything he felt before. It wasn't healing properly.

Suddenly, a face appeared in the beam of light. A dirty hand shielded the face from the beam of light. It was surrounded by a loose fitting, frilly periwinkle sleeve.

"Well hello, handsome," a familiar feminine male voice called out. "So you're finally awake? You've slept for almost 3 days now. I made you feed from the woman's blood as well. She was going to die anyway," he waved. Hagi tried to move to defend himself, but the man quickly stilled him. "Better not move, it'll only make it worse."

"Na- Nathan," Hagi tried to growl, but it brought an excruciating coughing fit.

"Mmm, I wouldn't do that either," Nathan warned. "Amshel made good his last threat. You are going to pay for it. The crystals will not let you heal and you must have them removed, but we need to get you out first."

"Wh- why are…" Hagi tried to ask.

"Why am I trying to help you?" Nathan almost sang out Hagi's thought as he came and pressed the blade of the sword to the wall of the tunnel so he could get closer to Saya's only surviving chevalier. He took Hagi's chin in his hand and cooed, "Because you're family," He pulled away as Hagi tried to swipe at him. "So cruel of you. I'm deeply hurt." Nathan faked a trembling lip as he turned to the tunnel again. He called back, "And here I am digging this tunnel, feeding you, and even making sure you get the help you need and all you can do is fight with me."

Hagi was confused and weak, his brain was too foggy to comprehend most of what Nathan was saying. He couldn't even figure out how this chevalier was still alive. His head ached and seemed to drum with pain along with his chest and back. There was nothing he could do right now but wait and allow the blackness to take over his thoughts as he clicked the flashlight off.

_He saw the land rushing underneath him as he hurried to get there. He didn't know what was drawing him in such a way, but he knew there was an urgency to get there. The sea was blurring below him as he beat his enormous wings with the air current causing his speed to increase._

_He was momentarily distracted by a low, but sweet familiar moan. He saw the figure curled in his arms, she was slightly heavier than he remembered, but he was becoming tired. He was depleting his energy reserves quickly. His goal was coming into sight as he fought against the overwhelming fatigue. "We are almost there, Saya," he heard himself say._

"Saya," he whispered as he grasped the katana in his hand tightly. The only thing he had left of her.

"Hagi," Saya called for him in her sleep as the plane headed for Japan. Kai was looking out the window as Lulu pulled the jacket higher over Saya's shoulder. She watched Saya tae in a deep breath and hug herself. A tear glistened as it escaped her closed eyes. Lulu wiped it away in the same way she watched Hagi do so many times.

Kai had turned to watch the exchange. So Lulu is acting as Saya's chevalier, Kai thought. I guess it's a good idea. Saya needs someone to look after her and I'll be too busy watching Diva and Riku's daughters. He let out a breath and dropped his head against the back of his seat. I hope they find Hagi soon.

It had been a week since the Met was bombed and Nathan pushed his way through the tunnel. He had finally broke through, he quietly stared at the moonlight and the stars. After a time he spoke back down into the dark tunnel, "Well, I had planned this out so well. Saya would kill me and I would make my beautiful exit scene, but then hide behind the wall awaiting Amshel's return. At this point I would complete my mission, kill Amshel and go home." He told the black hole. "But no," he mused as he looked at his dirty manicure in disgust.

He began to clean under his nails with one of Hagi's daggers as he continued, "But you and Saya just had to play the heroes. If you would have left like you were supposed to, you'd be back in Japan with my niece now, probably screwing her in her own bed. Oh, well, what's done is done."

He went back down into the tunnel and carefully pulled Hagi's unconcious body to the end of the tunnel and opened a small bottle he produced from his pocket. He poured the thick red liquid in the chevalier's mouth. Instinctively, Hagi swallowed. Hagi coughed as his eyes snapped open, glowing bright blue in the darkness. He heaved huge gulps of air as if he had been suffocating. Nathan pounded him between the shoulder blades, just above the embedded crystals. "Don't worry, everyone reacts that way to the True Queen's blood the first time.

Hagi frowned at him. "True Queen?" he rasped.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about her," he waved, but then warned. "Just don't get any ideas about having kids. She won't allow that."

Hagi was silent, too confused to respond.

"I must let you know that because of you and Saya's selfless acts during the war with Amshel, she has allowed you and Saya to have your hearts' desires," he stated ceremoniously, "but she warns that this union can never bring forth children."

Hagi just listened, unsure of what this pretentious peacock was babbling about.

Nathan pulled a card from his pocket and placed it in his sleeve as he unfolded a dark blanket. He jumped out of the hole and into the night. He looked over his left shoulder at the coming headlights which cast dark shadows of Nathan's features as he covered his head and shoulders with the blanket. "Hmm," he said as he rubbed his chin, "not who I was hoping for, but it still has potential." He leaned down and told Hagi, "It's time for the curtain to rise, Hagi."

Hagi was covered with a mound of dirt.


	6. Chapter 6

A week after the explosion of the Met

It was another sweltering summer day in Texas as Jim happened to catch the mailman as he made his rounds. He sorted through the bills and junk mail when he came across the ornate handwriting that was uniquely Hagi. He smiled to himself, "Pretty Boy is gonna tell us a story tonight."

He gathered the ranch hands together after supper and handed the letter to Dan to read. Dan sounded better when he read. "Drum roll, please," he called out and Jim happily obliged by rhythmically drumming the coffee table with his hands. Dan cleared his throat and joked, "Everyone, here is the latest installment of the saga of Hagi and Saya."

"Y'all quit being silly and read already!" Clay yelled as Bubba and Ray booed. Ellen just shook her head and chuckled

"Critics," Dan moaned. He unfolded the letter and thought, "Only one page?"

_Dearest Marva, _

_Saya is very weak and it is time for her to begin her long sleep, but she is determined to see this through to the end. I broke down and told her, once again, that I wanted her to go on living. She did not slap me this time, but her response cut me so deep. She told me that we cannot exist in the human world. I even mentioned Kai's wish to provide for her as well. _

_She will not listen to reason. _

_I see my tuxedo hanging in the closet. Tomorrow there will be an end to this, one way or another at the Met. Either Saya will defeat Diva and I will have to kill her or Diva will win and kill me. I have tried my best and even Kai has tried to convince her, but it is Saya's wish. I must obey._

_Consider this my farewell letter. Please let everyone at the ranch know how much I appreciate all they have done to make me feel like a part of the family. They have let me into their lives without reservations or conditions. At least I was part of a family._

_Marva, I appreciate all that you and Claudia have done for me. Words cannot express how much. I will give Jeff your love when I see him._

_Love,_

_Your son Hagi Trudeaux_

The room was still. Tears filled their eyes, but Jim wasn't about to give in- not by a long shot. He grabbed the phone.

It was about 7pm. Marva was seated on the couch, watching the end of a movie. She wondered about the explosion of the Met. The authorities were calling it a terrorist attack, but Marva had a sinking suspicion there was something more important to it, something she was missing. Hagi and Saya were supposed to defeat Diva before they went into the Met, so they were okay, right? She still felt goose bumps rising on her skin. She could somehow sense that he wasn't dead, but something was definitely wrong.

She absently heard the phone ring a few times before Claudia answered. Claudia's muffled talking was bringing back memories of when she was a teenager and Marva caught her talking to her friend at 3 am on a school night. Marva smiled, but her smile melted as Claudia came into the room with the phone pressed to her ear and an expression of utter terror on her face.

"What's wrong?" Marva asked.

"The Met- the explosion… Hagi" she gasped.

"What?" Marva asked feeling dread sinking her heart.

She clicked the phone off with a beep. "Mom, Jim received the last letter from Hagi. He and Saya were headed to the Met for the last showdown with Diva. He was in the Met when it blew up!"

"We have to go now!" Marva announced as she got to her feet.

The van pulled up to ground zero. It was now a crater in the earth. Marva gasped as she walked to the edge. The rescue workers were working at the other end of the crater. They were in the middle of a shift change and were busying themselves to relaying information from one team to another. They didn't notice the two women franticly digging on the other side.

A man wrapped in a greyish blanket silently stood near the two women. Marva looked at him, half terrified that he would report them and half curious about his being here.

"Hagi," Marva called as softly. She didn't want to draw the attention of the rescue workers. The man simply pointed at the ground in front of him. Marva looked down at the earth in front of the man and watched as a disfigured chiropteran hand rose out of the ground pulling at the dirt, trying to free the person it was attached to. She 'd recognize those dark red fingers anywhere.

Marva gasped, "Here, Claudia!"

They franticly dug around the hand until they saw his face. He coughed and spit the dirt from his lungs. They dug down to his waist with their bare hands, clawing and scratching at the earth. Then, they pulled him out. He was very weak and there were the strange red crystals embedded in his back and chest.

Claudia wrapped a blanket around him and ran to fetch the van.

"Hagi," Marva smiled as she gently pushed a lock of hair out of his face.

He was gasping and coughing, but he was trying to say something.

"Shh!" she told him, "Don't try to talk, yet." She lifted his head slightly and poured some bottled water in his mouth so he could clean the dirt out. She busied herself with a cloth she brought, wiping his face and cleaning his nose to help him breathe better. "Oh, Hagi, thank God you're alive!" she exclaimed quietly as she smoothed his hair from his face with the cloth.

The van pulled up behind her and Claudia jumped out. They tried to lift him, but he let out a painful moan and was just too heavy for the two women to lift gently.

"You two dolls need help?" a high pitched male voice asked.

The two women turned quickly to see the man with gray blanket covering his head and shoulders. Marva saw a lock of blond, wavy hair come down as he gently lifted Hagi into the van. It also pulled they blanket away from his fore arm, revealing a periwinkle, frilly laced, sleeve. The man then turned to produce a card, and with the card a wad of money, "Take him to this doctor and tell the doctor that Amshel Goldsmith said to take care of him.

Claudia looked at him suspiciously. _Why are you helping us, _she thought_. You don't even know us- do you know Hagi? _There was no time for questions, right now. What mattered was getting Hagi to the doctor, immediately. "Thank you, so much, sir," Claudia said as she took the card and hopped in the driver's seat. Marva sat with Hagi's head in her lap. She smiled as the man closed the door.

"Not at all, Dears," he waved as they sped off.

Hagi was coughing as Marva gave him a sip of water to clear his mouth again. He could barely speak and was delirious and kept crying out, "Saya, I will find you." Marva brushed her hand over his brow and softly spoke to him. She heard him mumble, "Kai, get Saya out."

"Hagi, did Saya get out?" Marva asked.

"N- nan- nankuru…" he coughed and then, his head slumped over. Marva checked his pulse. It was weak and his breathing was labored and shallow.

"Hold on, Hagi," Marva whispered as she wiped some dirt off his cheek with her hand

Claudia glanced back at her brother as tears of worry streaked her face. "Mom, I saw a newscast at work the other day. It showed some of the survivors of the explosion. They put their hands over their faces, but I'm certain the young girl was Saya. She was crying and I saw her mouth Hagi's name," Claudia informed.

Marva nodded as they pulled into a driveway of an enormous home. "A house?" Marva asked.

Claudia got out and answered, "Duh, Mom, his clinic isn't open at 9pm."

A mid- forties, balding , steel gray eyed man with rectangle shaped glasses opened the door after Claudia's impatiently loud pounding. Claudia had parked the van, keeping the open door visible to the front door. That way there was no mistake, there was a man in need of help inside. The surgeon lowered his eyelids and furrowed his brow as Marva quickly explained the situation. She then stated as she handed him the wad of hundred dollar bills, "Amshel Goldsmith said you would help him."

The doctor sighed and leaned his head against the door frame. He muttered, "I told that man I never wanted to deal with chiropterans again."

"Please," Marva pleaded, "he may not be from my bloodline, but he is still my son, just as she," placing an arm around Claudia, "is my daughter. I could not lose either one. Please help us!"

The doctor looked up at the pair of tear stained faces. Both with ash and dust smeared and outlined with the trails of their tears. He sighed deeply and answered, "Alright."

He led them to the side of the house and an opening to the basement. Claudia ran back to the van to keep watch over Hagi. The man searched through the massive key chain in his hand and found the key to unlock the basement.

He pulled the door open to what looked like a hospital CCU. It smelled of disinfectant and the instruments near the table reflected the meticulous cleanliness of the owner. The man wheeled out a gurney, Marva followed him to the van.

Hagi was completely unconscious when they began to move him from the seat to the gurney, but he let out a pain filled moan as they strapped him in. Marva brushed his hair from his face with her dirty hand, "You're gonna be fine, Hagi. The doctor is going to take care of you. We'll be right here when you wake up."

He started to open his eyes as they wheeled him into the basement. He strained against the restraints, but he had lost too much blood break free. He heard a familiar voice ask, "Doesn't he need blood? He's so weak."

Then a man's voice, "I will have to do surgery on this chiropteran. If I give him blood now, he will regenerate too fast for me to remove the crystals."

An older woman's voice, "How long will it take?"

_I __know that voice,_ Hagi thought_, who are you?_

The man's voice again as he felt the cart jerk under him and instead of the night sky, a white ceiling appeared. "I'm not sure. It depends how far the crystals go, but judging from the look of his condition, he has some embedded in his heart, lungs, liver, and possibly even his stomach. Whatever chevalier did this to him, he made sure that this man wasn't going to get up again."

The woman's voice again, "Is he going… to…" she couldn't finish the question.

_That fear, that concern, that love… _Hagi thought, _I know you! You are someone close to me. _He struggled to put breath to this one word.

The man answered her, "I don't know, but I will do all I can. This man will need blood after the operation is complete. Are you willing to…"

Marva and Claudia answered together, "Take all you need."

He flipped open a cell phone and stated to the person on the other end, "I need you down here now! I need two transfusions."

As he was talking Hagi mumbled, "Mo- mom?"

Marva immediately went to his side and grabbed his left chiropteran hand and smoothed his hair back with her other hand, "Shh, Hagi, I'm here." Claudia joined her mother and put a hand on his knee. "The doctor is going to take care of you, Son. You're going to be fine. His blue eyes met her hazel ones. Tears made dirty streaks along her face. He looked to his sister. "Claudia," he whispered. He then winced in pain as his head snapped back and his mouth fell open in a silent scream.

The doctor pulled Hagi into the surgical room where he had already been joined by two attendants. A young woman with shoulder length, curly red hair gently led Marva and Claudia up the stairs to a large sitting room. "Would you ladies like to take a shower before we begin the transfusion?"

"We have no clothes to change into," Marva regretted not having to foresight to think of that.

"My place is not far from here," Claudia reasoned. She put her hand on her mother's knee and said, "I'll go get us a few changes of clothes and pull out some cash."

She began to rise when Marva pulled her back down and whispered in her ear, "Call Ellen and tell her the situation. Let her know to have my savings ready in case we need it. Tell her to prepare to liquidate Hagi's account, just in case. I don't know how much it will take to pay this doctor to keep his mouth shut."

Claudia and her mother exchanged a serious look before she nodded end left. Marva had felt it was only fair that the profit the winery was making should be split between Hagi and Dan. The ranch was already a very successful business in it's own right, but the winery was becoming a huge success. It had several customers from all over the world. Dan was amazing, but Hagi had learned. Before he left, he was taking on the spokesperson position and adding customers left and right. He didn't talk much- he didn't need to, the product spoke for itself, but the ladies sure did enjoy his presence.

"Would you like me to start the transfusion now?" the young woman asked.

Marva rolled up her sleeve, "Take as much as you need."

"One pint will be enough, we have some blood banked here, just in case," the woman assured.

"Then take two," Marva commanded as she glared the woman down. "He's my son and I will take care of him."

The woman nodded. After a minute she spoke, "Dr. Stein."

"What?" Claudia asked as the needle was inserted.

"Dr. Stein is the name of the doctor. He is my father. The two attendants are my brothers. My mother is preparing something to eat for you and your daughter."

She checked that the blood pack was filling properly and then stated, "You don't need to be concerned. We have worked with chevaliers before. My father let Amshel use his basement when he was in New York. He did these sadistic experiments on a chevalier named Karl. Most recently, he was experimenting on putting one named James back together. He had been mortally wounded. He lost both arms and part of his chest. For good measure, Amshel stuck one of those crystals under his skin, behind his head. I don't know what happened to him, but I believe Saya has killed him. I think she's killed them all by now."

"Who?" Marva asked.

"Saya? You know, the red queen. The master of your son," the woman looked at her with surprise. "Saya is still alive, so that means Diva is defeated and so are her chevaliers."

Marva became very wary. _I hope I haven't just made a grave mistake,_ she thought.

"Don't look so worried," the woman reassured as she smiled. "When my father realized that Amshel was starting wars and turning humans into chiropterans, he wanted nothing more to do with him and that Cinque Fleche company of his. We wanted to join up with the Red Shield, but we can't seem to find them. I'm just so glad we can help the red queen in some way. Saving her chevalier is probably a good way to start. By the way my name is Elizabeth- Bethy around here."

Marva shook her hand and watched her change out the full blood bag with an empty one. "Marva, my daughter is Claudia, and my son..."

"Is Hagi," Elizabeth finished. "Amshel ranted about him often. He was furious that none of the chevaliers could get rid of him. He must be amazing when he fights!"

Marva blinked as a tear left her eye, "I just hope he lives."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- The song lyrics in this story are not mine and I don't make any money from them- blah, blah, blah. The song is "Yours to Hold" by Skillet and I don't own Blood+ either**

Claudia arrived and Marva showered away the dust, dirt, and ash. She used a nail brush from near the sink to scrub the filth from under her nails. She dried and went to change into her cut off shorts and a green t-shirt. She pulled her long honey-brown and silver hair into a ponytail as she slid on her black crocs and went to find Claudia.

She almost ran into Claudia as she left the bathroom, "You done with your transfusion?"

Claudia showed her mother the band aid on her arm. "Two pints. I don't want them putting some strange blood into Hagi."

"The woman, Elizabeth, told me that her dad used to work for Diva's chevaliers. The first chevalier was Amshel and he ran experiments on two of the others- James and Karl. The doctor, Stein, did not like this, so he tried to stop working for Amshel to join the Red Shield," Marva explained in a whisper.

Claudia whispered back, "Yes, she told me, too. Dr. Stein refused to take Amshel in while they were here in New York, but Amshel forced him to take care of James while he was away for a while. James disappeared one night and didn't come back. He said that Diva was staying with a chevalier named Nathan and that she refused to see James and demanded that he be removed from the house."

"Diva, what a sick mind," Marva said. She then turned to the hallway and commanded, "Hurry and shower before they come looking."

Claudia awoke to the sound of a gurney being wheeled down the hall. She rushed to dress in the dark of the room. The sun wasn't even up yet. She opened the door of the room she was in to see the two attendants wheeling Hagi to the room next to Marva's, one carrying the IV stand. She hurried to her brother's side. "How is he?" she asked.

"Dr. Stein will be in to explain in a minute. He needs to wash up, first." The maneuvered the gurney next to a hospital bed that had been set up. There were monitors and stands and wires around the bed. The men moved him gently to the bed. Hagi's eyelids fluttered as he expressed a painful grunt. His hair was tangled and filthy around his still dirty face. He had dried blood on his chin. She moved a dirty lock of hair from Hagi's face. "He would hate to see himself like this," she muttered then looked up at one of the brown haired men and asked, "Can I clean him off? His hair needs to be washed and combed as well."

"I will get Bethy to help you with a sponge bath for him, but you'll have to wait to do the hair." He poked his head out of the room and told something to the person outside. The men set up a heart monitor and put the IV in place. The older one made some adjustments to the drip and they left the room.

Dr. Stein came in, clean and scrubbed up. Claudia wished she could say the same for her brother. She knew how he was about his appearance, he didn't have to be perfectly spotless, but he did like to look better than this. "Hello, Claudia," he smiled. His deep voice soothing her, "I'm surprised you're up, it's 5 in the morning."

"I am concerned for my brother," she said without turning her eyes from her brother."

"You're siblings, you don't look alike?" he observed.

"Blood or no blood, he's my brother," she glared into the doctor's eyes.

He chuckled and answered, "I'm not here to fight you or argue with you. It's just that what I've learned from working with chevaliers over the years is that their only reason to do anything is for their queen. It's hard to believe that one could form a bond with a human family."

"Hagi is not like that," Claudia retorted, her fists clenched. "He is a selfless and caring person. I don't care that he's not human."

Dr. Stein raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I can't wait until this 'Hagi' wakes up. I'd like to meet a chevalier like him." He then cleared his throat as he continued, "Your brother's surgery went as well as can be expected. He had many crystals embedded internally. I had to remove them from all the organs in his chest. I was able to get most of them out, but there are very small ones running all trough his chest and back. I'm not sure how they will affect him long term, but he should be fine for now. The ones in his heart were the most difficult. We almost lost him twice. He will need to take it easy for the next month. It is important that you contact the Red Shield, I am not sure about many of his injuries. The doctors of the Red Shield know more about chiropterans than I do."

"We don't know anyone in the Red Shield or how to contact them," Claudia answered.

The doctor scratched his head as Bethy came in with a basin of warm water and a set of sponges and towels, "Well, hopefully he knows how to get in touch with them. Ah, Bethy, ready to clean this man up?"

"Yes, Dad," she answered. "What about his hair? Jay said no, but he from the looks of him, he really needs it."

Dr. Stein considered a moment and then answered, "First, wash him up, then see what you can do with his hair." He then stepped forward to Claudia and said, "Oh, I almost forgot," he handed her a wrapped up towel with something inside, "we found these in the pockets of his tuxedo. Unfortunately, the tux didn't make it, but, thankfully your brother did. Claudia opened the towel to find four shiny daggers with a red jewel near the hilt of each. She folded it reverently and muttered, "He taught me with these daggers." A tear slipped down her face. She silently begged as she clutched the towel to her chest, "Please, let my brother live."

The doctor left the two women to their cleaning. Claudia set the daggers on a couch on the far side of the room. Bethy looked at him, "He's dirty, but you can tell he's very handsome."

"He's my brother," Claudia stated and added as she stroked his cheek. "He's in with someone. His heart belongs only to her," she glared at Bethy, "so trying anything with him won't work."

Bethy gave a wry smile, "Come on, he's not really blood related to you. Don't tell me you never thought…"

Claudia took the basin to the stand and began to dunk a sponge, "No I have never thought about him as anything else." She wondered, "How are we gonna wash him without getting the bed soaked?"

Bethy gave that same crooked smile as she pulled out a plastic sheet. "Very gently roll him on his side and I will push it under him, then roll him on his other side and I'll pull it across." Claudia looked at her in shock. "Don't worry, he's a chevalier on his fifth bag of blood. By now he's almost healed. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet. Chevaliers need something much stronger than humans to knock them out, though."

Hagi groaned as they put the plastic sheet under his body, but he didn't cry out. Claudia was nervous about the fact that he was completely nude, but she understood why. She just didn't want Bethy to get any ideas. She scrubbed the dirt from his skin, revealing the creamy complexion. After a good 15 minutes, he was clean, dry, and covered. The plastic cloth had been removed as well. They turned the bed to get better access to the head of the bed. Bethy cleaned out the basin and added fresh warm water to it. Claudia hurried to get her rose scented shampoo and returned to Bethy removing the IV.

"Doesn't he need more blood?" Claudia asked.

"My dad says we need to take it slow. We don't want his body to be overwhelmed. We will give him another pint when he wakes up. Now, you will lift him from the waist and hips and push him upward until his head is above the top of the bed. This way we can wash his entire head and get the back of his neck as well. I'll lift his shoulders. On three, one… two… three…"

They lifted him and Claudia watched as he groaned and they got his head positioned where they wanted and set him down gently. He gasped as he was laid down. His eyes opened and stared blankly, but soon they shut again and his head fell back into Bethy's hands. She nodded and Claudia poured water over Hagi's head and ran her fingers through the jet black tresses. The water came out the color of mud as the women took turns holding his head and washing his hair until the water ran down clear.

Hagi dreamed:

_He was wondering through New York, searching for Saya. He heard her calling out to him and felt her tears on his skin. "I am alive," he called to her. He then felt a warm rain begin to fall all around him. "Saya!" he called. His hair and clothes were soaked. He wanted to run to her, but he was held in place by an unseen force. He felt the rain stop and the sun come out. A wind blew, combing through his hair, it felt good, but he wanted to find Saya. He heard Nathan calling out, "The true queen has allowed this union. You both have lost so much because of this war, you deserve to live in happiness, but you will never have children."_

_Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded as the scenery changed to a peaceful, lush green forest that gave way to a clear lake which reflected a brilliant blue sky. Hagi saw a boy that looked remarkably like himself as a young boy at the Zoo. The boy was smiling so much that his eyes were squinted shut. He opened his eyes and looked directly at Hagi, but his eyes- his eyes were a brilliant shade of purple. The boy smiled again and ran off to the lake with a long jet black braid trailing behind him. _

By sunrise, the women had washed and dried their patient from head to toe. He looked much more like himself. His breathing was much deeper and the only thing that moved was his chest with each breath. Claudia was combing the dark waves of his hair until they were shining like obsidian. She felt a sense of pride rise inside her when women looked at him the way they did. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to call him beautiful. He looked like the peaceful statues of angels that adorned churches. She looked around for the navy colored ribbon that he used for his hair. It was nowhere to be found. She knew that the ribbon was important to him. It was old, but well cared for. If it was important to her brother than Claudia was going to find it. "Where's his ribbon?"

"What?" Bethy asked.

"His hair ribbon. It's navy blue and old. He was wearing it when we got here last night."

"I'll check the basement."

Bethy came back shortly with the dirty bloody ribbon in her hand, "Luckily my brothers haven't cleaned up yet. Dad's gonna be pissed though, he likes it to be cleaned right away."

Claudia took a drop of shampoo and scrubbed the ribbon in her hands and rinsed it under running water. She inspected it carefully to be sure it was clean before she laid it on the window sill to dry. "It's important to him," Claudia explained as she pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down. She laid her head on the bed near his chest and grasped his chiropteran hand. "I'm here, Big Brother," she said as she closed her eyes in sleep.

Saya had been back in Okinawa for more than a week. She had returned to school and went back to the daily routine. It would bring her out of her depression, but at night, in her room, the memories rushed back with a roar. She'd feel the emptiness all over again. She reached over to the cello case and thought if she played a bit, it would ease her pain. She pulled out the bow and waxed it before she pulled out the cello. A folded piece of paper dropped out as she removed the cello, but she didn't see it.

She drew the bow across the strings in the familiar, lonely melody she taught him more than a century ago. It didn't sound like him, he sounded better- _he_ was better. She wanted him to hold her, him to wipe away her tears, him to tell her that he loved her… she wanted to tell him that she loved him, too. She stopped abruptly, put the cello and bow back in the case and shut it. She looked down at the floor letting the tears fall as she observed to folded paper. As she retrieved and opened it, she wiped her eyes and pushed her hair out of her eyes. It was in English, she couldn't read English, but she could speak it well enough to get by. It was definitely Hagi's handwriting, she remembered Joel scolding her for not writing as legibly as her companion. _What does it say? Why is it in English? How do I read it?_

"Kai!" she shouted with realization. "Kai can read and speak English fluently." She raced down the stairs so fast that it left a wind in her wake. She found Kai in the living room, trying to give Kanade a bottle of formula as Habiki cried for a changing from the bassinet. Saya picked up the fussy blue-eyed Habiki and placed the paper on the sofa. She took Habiki their dad's old room, which had been turned into a nursery. She changed the wriggling baby and returned to the living room holding the cooing infant. She sat on the sofa and picked up the paper.

Kai had finally managed to get Kanade to take to the formula. Julia had felt that if the infants would take formula, they would more easily transition to human food like human children. They would still need transfusion, but they would also be eating like Saya. It was a good thing Omoro was becoming so successful, Kai didn't know how he would support 3 eating machines. "Why'd you stop playing earlier?" Kai asked.

As Kai patted Kanade against his shoulder, waiting for a good burp, Saya shrugged and handed him the paper. "I didn't sound good, besides, I found that. I know Hagi wrote it, but I can't read it, Kai. Please, read it to me?"

Kai scrutinized the words on the paper, there were a lot of lines scratched out and rewritten on top, Kai figured it was Hagi's first attempt at the song. He wasn't sure if it would be good as it was the first try. "It looks like song lyrics Saya. Did Hagi write music?"

Saya shrugged, "I don't really know. You know, we've known each other over 120 years, but I know very little about him. He's so mysterious."

"It looks like it wasn't his final copy. It may not be very good." Kai heard the burp he was looking for and felt the infant fall limp on his shoulder. He laid the infant in the bassinet as Saya went for Habiki's bottle. She returned and settled herself on the sofa and replied, "I don't care, Kai. It's something he wrote."

Kai nodded in understanding and began to read:

_I see you standing here_

_But you're so far away_

_Starving for your attention_

_You don't even know my name_

_You're going though so much_

_But I know that I could be the one to hold you_

_Every single day I find it hard to say_

_I could be yours alone _

_You will see someday_

_That all along the way_

_I was yours to hold, I was yours to hold_

_I see you walking by_

_Your hair always hiding your face_

_I wonder why you've been hurting_

_I wish I had some way to say_

_You're going through so much_

_Don't you know that I could be the one to hold you_

_Every single day I find it hard to say_

_I could be yours alone _

_You will see someday_

_That all along the way_

_I was yours to hold, I was yours to hold_

_I'm stretching but you're just out of reach_

_You should know_

_I'm ready when you're ready for me_

_And I'm waiting for the right time_

_For the day I catch your eye_

_To let you know _

_That I'm yours to hold_

Saya was staring off into space. Her expression was hard to read, but Kai knew that she was just waiting to go to her room and cry. She didn't move or change her expression as she said in an airy voice, "Read it again."

Kai wasn't sure what to do. She looked like her mind was gone, and he was terrified that this was hurting her more than she was thinking. "Saya, he's gonna be okay, you don't have to…"

"Again, Kai," she restated as a tear streaked down her face.

Kai read through it again as Habiki drained the bottle. Lulu arrived just in time to take over. Kai had to open Omoro and begin his evening. "Saya, will you be alright?" he asked. Lulu took Habiki from a dazed Saya.

"I'll take care of her, Kai," Lulu reassured as she burped Habiki. Kai had named the girls shortly after they got back home. He knew Saya wouldn't be up to it. Lulu watched the girls while Omoro was open, and Kaori watched them at night since she had graduated last year and wasn't attending college yet. Kai paid her every week to help her with living expenses. She would chat with Saya when she (Saya) was having a sleepless night.

Lulu felt Habiki fall asleep and laid her in the blue bassinet, next to her sister's pink one. She smiled at the sleeping infants and turned her attention to Saya. She knelt down in front of her to look in her eyes, "Saya, what's the matter?"

Saya grabbed the paper gently, her gaze stayed fixed as if in a trance, "He wrote a song for me Lulu. All this time, he felt this way, watching me. He never tried to say it, he didn't want it to get in the way of my wish- my wish to eliminate Diva. Why didn't I notice it? I've known him so long so I should have seen it."

"He doesn't show his emotions, Saya and he barely even talks. How could you know?"

Saya looked down, "But I should have. I should have noticed how I felt, too." She let another tear roll down her face as she got up. "I'm going to lay down Lulu."

Hagi opened his eyes to an already risen sun peeking through the thin curtains. The room was large and there were many medical items around him. He felt a warm hand on his chiropteran claw and looked down at the dark brown ringlets that smelled of fresh lemon grass, honey, and a hint of coconut from the hair dress she used to smooth her curls. _Claudia,_ he thought. _She always smells like some exotic island far away._ He moved his claw to feel the texture of his skin and run it through his hair. _I'm clean? How?_ He then noticed the feeling of the sheet that covered him against his skin. He was not comfortable with the discovery that he was indeed unclothed completely. He looked around the room, searching for clothes, but finding none. He sighed as he dropped his head back against the pillow. His hair was loose and surrounding his head like a halo.

He was very grateful for being clean, but he was wary of these surroundings. He didn't know this place and what's worse, his daggers were missing with his clothes. There was nothing he could do about it, however. He was badly injured. He moved the cloth down his chest to reveal white bandages covering the wound. _Someone has removed the crystals. I do not feel them tearing at me anymore. It is still painful, but a healing pain. _He heard the heart monitor emitting a rhythmic beeping, but he wasn't sure what it was or how it did what it did, but it was annoying him. He stroked Claudia's hair.

Claudia felt someone stroke her hair and opened her light brown eyes to see two blue-gray eyes staring back at her. She smiled the most grateful smile Hagi had ever seen.

"Hagi, I'm so glad you're okay!" Marva said as she entered the room. She joined Claudia in a careful family hug. Tears of joy fell from the women's faces. Hagi smiled at their joy. A rare sight indeed.

After a moment they broke free and Hagi got to ask the question he'd been wanting answered since he woke up, "Where are my clothes?"


	8. Chapter 8

Claudia giggled. The women stood up as Marva put a hand on Hagi's left chiropteran claw and looked at Claudia. She asked, "You think you'd be able to get him something at the store? I didn't expect we'd be in a situation like this before last night." She gave a smile.

"I was waiting for you to wake up so one of us would be here with him," Claudia answered.

Marva smiled at her daughter's foresight. "I'll get you some cash from my purse," Marva reassured.

Claudia waved, "No, no, no, Momma. This is on me, after all," she turned to look at him with joy filled eyes, "he's my big brother."

Hagi smiled back at Claudia and tried to sit up, but the world around him suddenly went out of focus. Marva saw him waver to the left and caught him before he fell out of the bed. She carefully laid him back. He could feel her strong arms catch him and gently pushing him back onto the pillow. She said, "Hold on, you're still weak. You're wounds are not healing as fast because you lost too much blood. You still need more, but they were waiting for you to wake up. Just relax and let your body heal."

He kept his eyes closed, for now.

Marva turned back to Claudia when she realized he wouldn't try to get up again. Worry filled her eyes as she asked, "Claudia, how long did the doctor say it would be before he's completely recovered?"

"The doctor told me a month."

Hagi's eyes snapped open. "No," he whispered.

The women looked at him. Claudia caught his gaze and asked, "Saya will be asleep by then, won't she?"

Hagi only nodded, his face hiding his sadness. This would be the second time he would not be there when Saya fell asleep. It would be 30 years before he saw her again. The thought of being so close was so heartbreaking. When she awoke, her memory would be a blank slate again. Everything he had said, everything they had gone through, her memory would be gone and he would have to start over.

"By the way, Big Brother, what did happen at the Met? We were so worried that Saya was going to…"

She was interrupted by Bethy wheeling in a cart with sausage, bacon and eggs with orange juice in a pitcher. She announced, "I've brought breakfast! Anyone hungry?"

Claudia mouthed the words _we'll talk later_ to Hagi. She apologized that she would not be able to eat breakfast, but she needed to go get Hagi some clothes. Bethy warned her to make sure the clothing was easy to get in and out of, he wouldn't be getting around too well for a while.

Hagi eyed the red haired woman. He wasn't sure where he was and who these other people were. He had heard a man vaguely last night discussing his injuries with Claudia. He was certain he was in a hospital, but this room did not seem like a hospital room. His hand traced along his chest where the crystals were tearing at him, but the crystals were now gone, the only thing that remained were several quickly healing scars. The young, red haired woman then busied herself hooking up a unit of blood to the tube that led to his right arm.

"Don't worry," she stated, "you aren't the first chevalier we've had to do surgery on."

His expression stayed the same as his eyes followed her every moment. He wished that he at least had his daggers near him. _Where are they? Where is Saya's sword? _He held his even expression as panic rose within him. His eyes darted around the room as his thoughts raced, _Saya's sword! Where did I leave it? _He looked at Marva and confessed, "I must find Saya's sword."

Marva looked around the room and thought of when she last saw it. Claudia spoke up, "You were hanging on to it with a death grip last night. I can't imagine…"

Marva cut her off, "It must still be in your van, Claudia."

"Oh, yes!" she slapped her fore head with her open palm, "I brought it to my house last night and thought I should clean it up. I was so busy getting clothes together and making phone calls that I totally forgot." She put a hand on her brother's claw and looked into his eyes. "It's safe at my house, Hagi."

He gave a small smile and replied, "Thank you."

"See, you can still smile, Big Brother!" She grinned as she grabbed the folded towel from the window seat.

"Let me give you his sizes," Marva said.

"Mom," she laughed, "I'm a fashion designer. I think I know what I'm doing."

Marva just waved as Hagi's eyes shot open with the possibilities of what Claudia would have him wearing. "Claudia," he almost growled the warning, "please, I am not one of those models. I wish to look decent."

Claudia faked a frown and pretend hurt. "Are you saying you don't like my tastes? I'm hurt."

It reminded him of someone. Something was important that he had said, but what was it? Who was it? He pushed the thought away and answered, "I am simply asking you to make certain that I look like a gentleman."

Claudia was out the door, but peeked back in to say, "Okay, Big Brother, tight neon orange t-shirt and purple leather pants- got it!"

He gave her a glare in return as she laughed, "I won't go crazy." Then she blew him a kiss as she left. Marva chuckled at the exchange as she began to eat some breakfast.

He just shook his head and laid back feeling the blood replenishing his body. It was all he could do right now.

"You should really try to eat something," Bethy told Hagi. "I know chevaliers do not eat, but it will help us to see if your stomach has healed. Just a piece of toast and a bit of milk."

She pushed a button on the side of the bed to raise him into an upright position. Bethy then placed a small glass of milk on the tray next to him and handed him a small plate with a piece of toast on it as she asked, "Would you like any jelly on your toast? We have strawberry, grape, peach, and blackberry."

"Blackberry," he answered as the memory came rushing back. He saw Saya licking the jelly from her fingers as he scolded her for her terrible manners. She wanted the red lilies that grew on the side of the cliff, a gift for Joel's birthday. He refused to let her go after them, so he went instead, but his hand slipped. He felt himself falling as he looked up into the terrified face of his beloved Saya. He felt so much pain. His head hurt, his back hurt, he couldn't breathe. He then felt Saya's mouth on his and the metallic liquid that transferred from her mouth to his. His body felt hot as he began to breathe again. He began to violently twitch and convulse.

After a time, the twitching stopped and he was knocked out yet again. He heard Saya leave to get help as he dreamed for the last time until today…

_Joel's voice, "It is a simple procedure. Saya needs blood to live. She is not like you or me, she can eat food, but she feeds on blood._

_Hagi's thought, "Have I now become like Saya? I have received her blood."_

_Amshel's voice, "It is good to see the two of you getting along so well." Hagi was grabbing the blackberry jam for the picnic they were going on this morning. He simply smiled politely to Amshel. Hagi felt bothered by Amshel's smile, it seemed as if he was having some impure thought going through his mind. _

_Hagi turned to leave when Amshel's comment stopped him in his tracks. "I wonder when you're going to get on with the matter you were purchased for," Amshel mused. _

_Hagi looked at Amshel in confusion._

_Amshel stood before him and grabbed the young man's chin and confessed, "You were purchased to be a breeding partner for Saya."_

_Hagi simply hid his emotions as he pulled himself away from Amshel, turned and walked away, leaving Amshel to smile at his own dirty thoughts. He would speak to Joel about this later, but later never came. _

_When he awoke from his fall, he went to find Saya._

He was interrupted from his memories as a voice asked, "Well aren't you going to eat?"

"Ah yes," he responded as he picked up the toast and glanced at the two women. Bethy was looking at him expectantly while Marva was finishing her breakfast and gave him a knowing look. After all these years, she knew him all to well. He wondered what Joel or David's response would be to the revelation that he himself had a family like Saya.

Hagi ate the toast slowly, enjoying the taste of the jelly. It brought back more memories of the Zoo, Saya, and the first Joel, who had been like a father to him. He drank some of the milk as he eyed Bethy.

"How do you feel?" she asked him and noticed he had finished the toast, "Would you like some more?"

"I am fine," he answered. He handed her the empty plate as he stated, "No more, thank you."

"You sure are polite. The other chevaliers we cared for treated us like we were their slaves," she informed as she cleared away the empty glass and adjusted the IV.

"Diva is dead," he stated as he looked down at his hands, "and so are all her chevaliers. Saya and I killed them all."

Bethy put a hand over his claw, to his surprise, without flinching, "We are all grateful for that, Hagi. Saya has done so much for human kind without any reward and so have you."

Hagi shifted in the bed as he asked, "Are you and your family members of the Red Shield?"

She laughed, "We have wanted to be since my father left Diva and Amshel. He saw what they were up to, artificially creating chiropterans. I even saw the Shiff before they escaped." She shivered, "What a horrible thing to do to anyone. Those people were created to fight and then die."

"Only the youngest Shiff is alive, Lulu," Hagi responded. "The Red Shield is trying to find a way to prolong her life. She has been fighting by our side since the rest of the Shiff have died."

"I am glad she has survived. I only wish we could have done more for the rest. My father is the one that helped to release them, he couldn't see them caged until their death. He wanted Amshel's experiments to end." She then stood and smiled, "We are all on the same side, now. The evil has died with Amshel and Diva and you and Saya are finally free. I only hope you get to see her before she falls asleep."

Hagi looked at his hands again as he answered, "So do I."

Marva added her empty plate to the cart and Bethy left the room that Dr. Stein would be with them in an hour. Marva noted Hagi hiding his face behind his loose, black waves. Claudia had brushed them until they shined. Marva grabbed the navy ribbon from the sunny window ledge. It was a cloudless day and beautiful for a walk. The recent rains had cooled the air outside. She planned to take him outside later, if the doctor permitted.

She moved her chair next to him and, still standing, put a hand on his shoulder. His gaze still on his chiropteran hands he spoke, "She is about to go to into her deep sleep. She will not remember all that has happened when she wakes up. She won't remember…" His voice trailed off as he tried to hold back his emotions. This was his family, the only people he trusted enough to show emotion, but only on rare occasions, this being one.

Marva lifted his chin to look into his sad face. She could see the pain and pent up emotions in the depths of those slate eyes as she responded to his depressing thoughts, "Hagi, we will find a way. She will not forget you for long. She will remember you- we'll do everything we can to help. You know that."

Hagi embraced her as she felt his shoulders shake and tears against her shoulder. She stroked his hair with her right hand as she embraced him with the left, being cautious of the IV, still clutching the navy ribbon in her hand. She let him release his emotions as long as he needed, for him, it was as if he had lost Saya at the Met. Silent sobs shuddered from her son and Marva could not keep her tears from falling. After a long while, his body seemed to relax, she reached for some tissues on the night stand near the door with her left arm still on his shoulder. He took the tissues and dried his eyes as he said, "Thank you." He then let his gaze turn to the beautiful day outside and wondered how Saya was doing. He then said to Marva, "I am sorry for causing you so much concern. I do not wish to burden you and Claudia with my injuries. I should have controlled my emotions better, as well."

_Oh, no, he's trying to go back to that man of steel routine,_ Marva thought. "Hagi," she stated as she grabbed his left claw, "you are my son. I wouldn't have it any other way. You need us right now and we are going to be there for you as long as we live. You are an important part of all our lives now, not just Claudia and I, but Clay, Bubba, Ray, Dan, Jim, Ellen, the new ranch hands, and even Angie and her band members." She smiled as she observed, "Hagi, you don't have a family, you have an entire town!"

He chuckled at her observation. She was right, he had so many people he was close to, more than ever before. For nearly a century, since the Zoo burned down, his only real companion was Saya. He did not trust anyone enough to become closer than a casual acquaintance or a type of informant, but he let Marva and Jeff into his secret world and they accepted without reservations. Now there were so many more that he thought didn't know his secret, but he was wrong.

"Did you want me to put your hair up?" she asked as she held out the blue ribbon.

He smiled with gratitude as he held the precious ribbon in his hand, "I am relieved that you kept it safe for me."

She went behind him as she began to brush and gather his wavy strands to the back of his head. He was not really comfortable with all the attention he was getting, but he was too weak to do much for himself. He could feel his strength returning with the blood that was filling his veins. He felt safe, and he would gratefully accept the attention from Marva and Claudia because they were his family, but he wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible. Marva had explained what she knew of the doctor and his family, but Hagi did not trust anything or anyone associated with Diva, past or present. He could remember nothing of the mystery man that had saved him except that he had said something very important. Hagi would not force his memory, he'd dealt with Saya's memory problems far too many times. He would let the memory come back gradually, after all, he had plenty of time on his hands.

"So, why is this ribbon so special to you?"

He smiled at her curiosity as he let the old ribbon slide along his fingers, "When I was still a boy, Saya would braid my hair. One time, she tied it tightly and the ribbon broke, so she took one out of her own hair to tie mine. The ribbon reminds me of her when she's in her deep sleep. I suppose now, it is really my ribbon, not hers."

Claudia walked in to see Marva taking the ribbon from Hagi and wrapping it around her brother's dark locks. She stifled a giggle as she announced, "I could chop it short for you so you won't need to tie it anymore."

"I do not think that is necessary, Little Sister," he growled as he kept from turning his head. He could feel her brown eyes watching the scene. She had pulled her dark brown curls into a ponytail at the back of her head. He noticed a long black duffle bag over her shoulder.

She noted that Hagi was seated almost upright and the sheet had fallen to his waist, leaving his chest exposed. "I hope that Bethy hasn't made a move on you, Big Brother. I don't want her to ruin you for Saya," she teased.

Hagi raised an eyebrow and pulled the sheet up as Marva asked, "What are you ranting about, Claudia?"

"She was talking about how handsome he was last night while we were cleaning him up," she informed and laughed as her brother finally showed some color in his face. "Oh, don't worry, she did the waist up and I got everything below the belt."

She almost went into hysterics as Hagi's blush extended over his face. He groaned with embarrassment as Marva put a hand on his shoulder. "Someone had to do it, better Claudia than someone else."

"You should have told a man to tend to me," he answered rather angrily.

Claudia was obviously surprised by his display of emotion, "Big Brother, I didn't mean to upset you. I did not want some stranger touching you. Besides, who do you think will be tending to those needs when you are released from this place? You will have to stay with me for a while as you get better."

He regretted his sudden outburst on Claudia, she had only ever thought of him as her big brother and never would have any impure intentions toward him. "I am sorry, Claudia. I am not accustomed to being cared for."

She came over to him and placed a hand on his thigh, "It's okay, Big Brother. I'm just glad I have something on you the next time you decide to pull that 'I changed your diapers' line."

He chuckled as he put his claw over her hand. "I never would have thought anyone, any human, would so easily accept me for all that I am," he mused. "Thank you both."

After a few moments of silence, Marva asked Claudia, "Have you called Jim, I'm sure he's frantic by now?"

"Yes, I called last night. I think he'd been holding his breath, waiting. When he relayed the news, I heard everyone cheering." She turned to Hagi, "They all wish you well, and hope to see you soon, even Jim."

Hagi's brows furrowed in confusion. Marva turned to him and sighed before she let the truth out.

Hagi was visibly upset at first, but as he soon understood. The day his leg was crushed, he was certain the truth would be out, but Marva had prolonged the inevitable. He smiled at the thought that it was Jim who had called Marva and Claudia. He never thought Jim cared much for him, but he was glad he was wrong.

Claudia took a deep breath before she asked, "So, what happened at the Met? Jim said that you had basically written a farewell letter, but he felt that deep down you knew you couldn't do it. It's why he called us to check it out."

He explained the details, how Saya had killed Diva and he thought he'd killed Amshel. She was about to kill the babies and then command Hagi to kill her when Kai burst in commanding her to listen. She shook her head as if to say, "You can't understand."

Then Kai turned his attention to Hagi, commanding him to tell her how he felt. Hagi responded that he only did as Saya wished. Kai then gave him a right hook.

Claudia laughed as she slapped her mom across the shoulder, "I told you! Haha! I told you, someone needed to knock some sense into him! Jim and I won the bet."

Hagi ignored this as he didn't want to get into the wrongs of gambling at the moment. He cleared his throat and continued. "I told her I have always loved her. Even since we were at the Zoo and she held me when I told her that I was purchased to be her servant. I told her I have done everything she wished, but I would disobey, just this once. I wouldn't kill her. I wanted her to live on and then I kissed her on the side of her forehead. She pressed her cheek to mine as she allowed tears to fall."

Claudia and Marva were literally on the edge of their seats with the expectation. "So then?" they both asked ignoring Hagi's far away look.

"She said, 'I want to live,' and then she kissed my mouth. I was never so happy before. I was so lost in the moment that I did not know who had burst in and announced that the Met was being bombed, but I hurried behind Saya as she carried one of the babies. Part of the ceiling came down and took my right arm with it. Amshel returned and demanded the babies. Saya grabbed her sword and went after him. I pulled the sword from her in the midst of her attack and then ran Amshel through. He told me I would pay for it and ran me through with his claw, pinning me to his crystallized body. I told Kai to get everyone else out and told Saya I will always love her. That is when everything went dark. I was only aware of her screaming for me."

Marva and Claudia had tears in their eyes. Claudia was the first to speak, "Well, that sucks."

Hagi let out a hearty laugh as her comment broke him from his thoughts. She was so much like Kai. Marva and Claudia looked at him with confusion. He waved a hand and said, "Claudia, you have a way with words. I was thinking the same thing."

Now Claudia and Marva joined in the laughter. After a time, Marva spoke, "I tried to tell you many times, your love would make the difference. Why didn't you see that?"

"I told you Marva, I thought Saya would never have me. I am her servant, her chevalier, it is not acceptable."

"Who says?" Claudia burst out, "Diva? Amshel? They're dead and the only true chiropterans left are you and Saya- I don't think Saya has a problem. In the future, if Diva's daughters have a problem with it, send them to me- I'll set 'em straight."

He smiled at his protective sister. Somewhere inside his mind was the answer, some one had told him, but he couldn't remember, not yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Saya awoke with tears in her eyes, that dream had returned to torment her. She was walking through a city she was certain was New York. She heard Hagi calling for her and he was getting weaker by the minute. She was in a full on run and even had begun to use her chiropteran powers to speed quickly from building to building. His call began to fade as tears streamed down her face.

She awoke as her mind screamed, "HAAGIIII!" She let more tears fall in the early morning breeze. It was still hot in Okinawa, but fall was soon approaching. Saya could feel it, she was going to be in her hibernation soon. She longed for the familiar silhouette and the deep voice that was never going to return. She pulled the paper out of the nightstand and looked at it as if to read, not that she needed to. She had Kai read it over and over until she had memorized it. She could imagine Hagi reading it, how his deep voice would expressively sound each emotional line he had written.

A sudden knock at the door startled her from her fantasy, she folded the paper and put it back in the drawer before she called out, "Come in."

Lulu came into the room with a glass of milk and handed it to Saya, "I just heard you calling to him and you might be awake soon. Kai won't be up for a while, so I brought you some milk to hold you until he wakes up.

Saya's face fell as she heard Lulu speaking of him. She mumbled, "I don't know why I call him, he won't answer me anyways."

Lulu put a reassuring hand on Saya's shoulder. She wasn't sure how to tell Saya that she had heard Hagi responding to her calls for more than a week now.

Hagi heard her calling to him. It was late evening and Marva and Claudia went to the dining room for a late snack. They had become accustomed to the Stein family and occasionally left him to his thoughts, but only for a short time. Hagi walked to the window rather stiffly. He wasn't used to being laid up for so long.

He had been embarrassed by the thought of Claudia bathing him, but what she had to help him with for the past two and a half weeks was far worse. She and Marva had to help him dress. Thankfully, that only lasted a few days before he could manage to do it himself, but they still had to supervise. Today was the first day he was allowed to shower and dress himself alone, but they still stood outside the door and asked if everything was okay every few minutes.

He opened the window and leaned out he called to Saya, hoping this time grief wouldn't cloud her mind from hearing him. He called to her as he felt Lulu responding. He had recently discovered that she could hear him, or rather, feel his call- yet another surprise gift the young girl had.

Lulu suddenly perked up with her ears twitching, a joyous smile graced her thin lips and a bright twinkle illuminated her green eyes. She smiled as she nudged Saya and informed her, "He hears you Saya. Kai told you not to give up hope."

Saya sobbed as her thoughts went to the explosion and his last words to her, "I will always love you." "He's gone Lulu." Saya's eyes had been a dull brown the last few weeks. Ever since she thought Hagi had died, she was just going through the motions of life and not really living it.

Everyone tried to cheer her up, Kai even told her, "It's like you're surviving life, but not living it. Hagi wouldn't want you to live like this. He'd want you to be happy."

"No he's not," Lulu insisted. "Can't you feel him calling you?"

Saya sat very still and listened. After a time, she heard nothing and sighed, "It's just your imagination, Lulu. There is only the sound of birds and traffic."

"No Saya," she scolded as she placed Saya's hand over her own broken heart, "you're using your ears- use your heart."

Saya sat still, unsure of what Lulu wanted. Suddenly, she felt the deep vibrations of the lowest string of the cello, then, the first note of the song he always played for her. She felt the complex melody vibrating through her body. She swayed to the feeling as Lulu smiled approvingly.

Hagi sensed that she had finally heard him. He smiled as he pulled himself to sit in the windowsill. He said her name softly and drew the syllables out.

"Saaaayyyyyyaaaaa," she heard as a deep vibration rocketed through her body. "Hagi," she whispered as tears of joy fell from her cheeks, "I love you, too. I wish you were here."

He shivered as he heard his name whispered. He answered her, "I wish that I could be there with you, with all my heart, but I am too weak." A tear left his blue-gray eyes.

She cried tears of joy while he shed tears of regret.

Marva entered the room and asked Hagi, "Are you ready to go to Claudia's? The doctor said he'd…" she stopped her own thought as she noticed his tears glistening in the moonlight. She hurried to his side with a tissue. "What's wrong, Hagi?"

"I wish I could be there, Mom. She was afraid she had lost me. She was crying for me. I want to go to her," he announced as he attempted to rise as he dried his tears.

Marva gently blocked his path and looked into his slate blue eyes. She stated, "I would love nothing more than to get you to her and give you both the chance you've been longing for over a century, but you are far too weak right now. You'll never make it to Dallas, much less Japan."

He hung his head as Marva walked him to the bed. He sat up in the bed, raven waves of hair hung down around his face.

Claudia watched from the doorway as a plan formed in her mind.

Marva looked down at Hagi, he was looking down at the floor. Marva joked, "If I didn't know you, I'd say you were sulking."

He didn't move or respond, he heard Saya say his name one last time and what sounded like "I love you."

Claudia walked in and put a hand on her mother's shoulder and said, "Mom, I'll stay up with him tonight, you get some rest." She winked and added, "I think I can cheer him up, too."

"That's fine," she responded and then sighed as she looked down. She murmured, "I think I may have made it worse." She straightened the sheet over his lower body as he continued to look down.

Claudia had a curious smile on her face as she asked, "Is he… is he sulking?"

Marva sighed. She turned and led Claudia to the door before whispering, "He was communicating with Saya and decided to go to her. She thinks he's dead. I'm worried he may become unreasonable about this."

Claudia pet her mother's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll cheer him up." She gave her a hug and watched as Marva hugged Hagi who did not return the embrace.

He was surprised that he was indeed sulking. It was not like him at all, but when it came to Saya he knew he could be unreasonable and even a bit irrational, but sulking. He didn't feel like smiling or hugging. All he could think was that he _had _to get to Saya.

Marva left Hagi and Claudia with, "Goodnight."

Claudia waited until she was down the hall and into her own room before she went to her brother's side. She grabbed his claw into her hand. She was startled when she heard him speak. "I am being unreasonable. Mom is only trying to protect me."

Claudia smiled and responded softly, "We understand, Big Brother, she is everything to you. This is the hardest thing for you to deal with because you put your heart out there, she accepted it, and now you'll be separated for another 30-something-odd-years. We know you're hurting, more now than ever before."

He let a tear fall onto his lower arm, where his skin became a scaly chiropteran claw. She expressed how he felt exactly and why as well. It amazed him how well Claudia seemed to know him, him- an immortal being! It was so strange to him, but yet, she had known him as her brother all her life. He was her babysitter, her brother, sometimes her father, her confidante, and her protector. She completely opened herself up to him and he had slowly done the same. Claudia had wormed her way into his heart and blood or not, she was his little sister, and Marva was his mother. "I will apologize in the morning." Allowing curiosity to get the better of him, he asked, "So, how do you plan to cheer me up?"

Claudia rolled her eyes, "Chiropteran hearing. Well, I have to travel somewhere for work- photo shoot. It will be 4 days from now when I leave."

"How is this supposed to cheer me up?"

She leaned in close and sung in his ear, "It will get you close to Saya."

He furrowed his brows, "How close?"

"Okinawa," she whispered.

His eyes shot open wide. It was the biggest response she'd ever seen from him. She giggled as he opened his mouth to respond.

"They're doing a photo shoot on the beach and the photographer demanded that I be there," she grinned at him.

"You would be able to take me?"

"Yes," she laughed, then she became serious, "but you will have to trust me. We'll only be there a week and you will have to take care of yourself most of the time. No overdoing it, got it?"

"Yes," he said evenly disguising his excitement.

"I can't promise you'll get there before she goes to sleep, but at least you will get to see her."

"That is all I ask."

"You will possibly be recognized, but I have a plan and you WILL have to trust me. Do you trust me enough to give me control?"

A reluctant yes.

"Complete control?"

_What am I getting myself into?_ he thought as he slowly nodded.

She reached up and moved a lock of hair from his face, "First we must trim your hair."

"Claudia," he warned.

She grabbed his chin and looked into his eyes, "Trust me."

He sighed as she went to a drawer where she knew the doctor kept the scissors for removing bandages and grabbed a couple of towels. She unfolded a towel and placed it behind him and placed the other over his shoulders and was on her knees behind him on the bed. She loosened his ribbon enough to pull the ponytail lower on his head, just at the hairline. "What are you…"

She leaned over and scolded, "Hagi."

He quietly sat as he got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd never had short hair. Even as a young boy, he remembered his mother braiding his hair until he was old enough to braid it himself. Suddenly he heard the sound of metal slicing through his hair and felt ill for the first time since he was a boy. Claudia dangled a dark ponytail in front of his face. He didn't trust himself to respond. He was on the verge of either throwing up or killing her. He reached around to the back of his neck where he once had dark waves and now freshly cut hair. Claudia gave him a moment before she pet his shoulder. "It's necessary, Big Brother. I know how pissed you are right now, but I have to find a way to disguise you."

He cleared his throat before he answered, "How long have you known where Saya is?"

"Since your first letter. They faxed a copy to me in Italy and the envelope it was in. There was a postmark on the top that was from Okinawa, no one else caught it. When my boss called and told me where he wanted me to go, I asked immediately if I could bring my brother." She grinned as she trimmed his bangs and evened everything else out.

She led him to the mirror and removed the towel from his shoulders as he gathered the one from the bed and shook them out from the window. He looked in the mirror in disbelief. His bangs were just below his eye level and parted down the middle, the rest was layered just below his jaw line. It was similar to a style he had seen before. Where had he seen it? It was someone important- who told him something he must remember.

"So how do you like it?" She laughed as his he ran a hand though his now short hair. She placed the towels in the hamper in the bathroom and the scissors back in the drawer. She then handed him the locks of hair with the ribbon still attached.

He ran the strands through his fingers and admitted, "I do not care for it at all." He looked at her reflection behind him and told her, "I will grow it back out."

"Oh, Big Brother," she groaned as she sat in a chair near the bed, "you look much better. You just need to get used to it."

"I do not wish to get used to it," he retorted as he returned to his bed, placing the snipped hair on the nightstand. He looked down at his attire. He did not care for it either. He felt like a bum wearing these grey sweat pants and dark blue t-shirt. He was eager to go purchase some clothing for himself, he had some money, but it was not here. It was with Saya in his cello case. He sighed and laid back against the pillow.

"Are you tired?"

He looked at her concerned face. He then looked back to the ceiling and responded, "No, I just wish to at least get some clothing that I would wear."

Claudia snorted in laughter, "Oh, no! Not that drab black suit and boring oxford shoes. Seriously, do you enjoy being mistaken for a mortician?"

"I do not look like a mortician," he responded.

"In that getup you did."

He did not want to lay down, he wanted to go somewhere, but he was stuck here. He knew they all meant well, but he just wasn't used to being still. His muscles ached with lack of use.

"Come on, brother, something's bugging you. What is it?"

"I need to get out. I do not want to lay around anymore."

"I guess you wouldn't like laying around. You're used to being on the go all the time, but guess what?"

He turned to look at her.

She pulled a pair of cards out of her pocket and handed them to him. "I swiped them from Mom when she wasn't paying attention."

He looked at them both. One was an ATM card and the other was his driver's license he'd left with Marva a few years back. "What is this for?"

"I called Ellen just yesterday to make sure that she left your money in your account as well as check the balance. I told her you may need it, she gave me the pin number."

He looked at the ATM card and noticed his name on the bottom. "How do I have any money?"

Claudia smiled, "She didn't tell you?" He shook his head. "The winery has become very profitable. She wanted to give you and Dan the credit you deserve. She makes enough money off the ranch. All she takes from the winery is the taxes for the land and the cost of the supplies it uses, but all the profit for the past 4 years has been split between you and Dan. She also added your wages on the card as well."

"How much do I have?"

She smiled slyly, "About $100,000 US."

He was indeed surprised. It was more money than he knew what to do with. He'd have to remember to show Marva his gratitude for such generosity. "So, what do I do with this?" he asked as he flipped the ATM card over in his claw.

She handed him a rolled up bandage and asked, "Wanna find out?"

He felt strange walking around in public dressed so informally, especially with both arms bandaged. Claudia had found one of those mega stores that was open all night and busied herself forcing him to look at various outfits. She picked out various long sleeve shirts. He just shook his head. He finally made a deal with her, she picked out 4 long sleeve t-shirts, all black or dark blue and he picked out two white button down dress shirts and black slacks. He found some plain black dress socks and Claudia rolled her eyes as she picked up some cargo shorts. He shook his head fervently followed by a, "I refuse to wear short pants, I am not a child."

Claudia picked out 3 pair of cargo shorts, khaki, green camouflage, and black. She laughed out loud as he rolled his eyes. "I've never seen you do that before," she responded.

He moaned as she practically dragged him to the shoes. She immediately picked out some beach sandles and a pair of cheap flip flops. He put the flip flops back and told her no. She frowned as he picked out the black oxfords she was trying to keep him from. He couldn't help but laugh as she tried to wrestle them from him so he opted to holding them over his head. No matter how high she jumped, she'd never get them, he had a good six inches on her. She sighed as she grabbed a pair of black sneakers, playing their game of "let's make a deal".

He looked at all the items in the cart as they headed for the soap and hair care aisle. He was trying to figure out how he could sneak some of these unwanted items out of the cart as she picked out the rose scented shampoo he liked and some hair gel. She picked up a package of blue hair dye and he immediately put it back without a single word. She was asking him if he needed some aftershave or cologne when she noticed the display of condoms. He physically grabbed her shoulders and turned her away from them before she could torture him. She laughed as they headed for the checkouts.

When everything was calculated and bagged, Claudia showed him how to use his ATM card, including the pin number.

They managed to sneak themselves and all the items back into the room without being discovered. Hagi went through the bags and removed the tags from the slacks and dress shirts, folding them neatly and placing them on the bed. He then sighed as he looked at the cargo shorts he really did not care for, especially the camouflage ones. He repeated the process with each shirt and the shorts as Claudia put the toiletries in the bathroom. She came out and smiled at the sight of Hagi passed out on the bed with his new clothes neatly folded beside him. She moved the clothing to a drawer in the dresser and moved his legs onto the bed, removing the shoes. She covered him in a sheet and busied herself putting away the shoes and socks before she passed out on the sofa she had requested to be placed on the far wall next to the window.

Marva came in the with the sunrise to see the black bundle of hair on the nightstand and a very different looking Hagi checking his reflection in the mirror. She covered her mouth as she gasped.

Claudia stretched as she sat up on the couch.

"Claudia, what have you done?" Marva hissed.


	10. Chapter 10

Hagi was amazed, nervous, and excited as he walked next to Claudia around the set on the beach. Models were being ushered on and off the beach wrapped in large towels. A small man, shorter than Claudia, was shouting directions as he'd snap photo after photo in continuous succession. He turned to them and gave a joyous expression as he greeted, "Oh, Claudia, so happy you are finally here!" He kissed each of her cheeks and then turned to Hagi. "And who is tall, dark, and handsome?"

"This is my brother, Hagi," she smiled as she extended her hand toward her tall brother. She then added, "Hagi, this is Roberto," she added with a dramatic flair, "the famous photographer."

"Oh, stop," Roberto teased flamboyantly as he extended his right hand to Hagi.

"Glad to meet you," Hagi greeted as he shook his hand.

She turned to Hagi and informed, "I really need to get to work here. Do you think you could head back to the hotel and unpack for us? I'll meet you for lunch at 12, right? You're okay on your own?"

Hagi smiled and responded, "I will be fine, Claudia. I will see you at 12."

She smiled and gave him a hug and ran off to begin work. Hagi set off in the direction of the hotel, but decided to check out Saya's old school. He walked calmly until the crowd thinned out and then began to speed through the streets, leaving only a blue trail in his wake. He could strongly sense Saya's presence at the school, but they were in the classroom at this time of day. He ran his bandaged hand along the gate as he continued his tour of the past.

He stopped by Omoro and saw Kai feeding one of Saya's nieces while Lulu played with the other one. She was relaying the story of how she had watched Saya and Hagi communicating to each other. Kai seemed relieved at the news. Hagi heard him saying he was glad that her moping was finally over. Lulu smiled as she said that Saya told him twice, that she loved him.

He was smiling as he remembered that he thought he had heard that. He was crouched in the window at the end of the hall, so he wouldn't be so easily noticed. Lulu then perked up, again, asking Kai if he had called Joel about the party at the end of the week. Saya was hoping everyone was going to be there. Hagi decided to check Saya's room at that moment. He moved quickly and silently to the other side of the building, knowing exactly which window was hers.

In a heartbeat, he was standing in her room. She had the same posters and pictures adorning the walls. He noticed his jacket folded neatly at the end of the bed. He placed a bandaged hand on it, sensing how she had clung to it during her grief over losing him. His heart ached knowing the sorrow he had caused her, so he would leave the jacket with her. The gleam of sunlight hitting metal caught his attention, he walked over to his cello case wondering if she had tried to play it in his absence.

Suddenly, a sound in the hallway caught his attention. "I'm sure I feel his presence, Kai," he heard Lulu say. He pulled a note from his cargo shorts and placed it under her pillow and quickly departed out the window.

A moment later, Kai and Lulu came through the door, both noted nothing was disturbed and went to check the other rooms.

Hagi went into the living room window and quickly checked in on Saya's nieces. One pair of blue eyes and one pair brown looked up at him and both babies gave a wide grin as he promised, "I will be checking on you more often when I am completely recovered." He heard the pair coming back into the long hallway. The twins were giggling as he leapt from the window.

Even though he wasn't at full strength yet, he was still agile as a cat and could easily slip past mortals, but Lulu was more of a challenge. He heard her call him saying, "I know you were here, Hagi. You better be here when Saya goes to sleep."

Hagi headed back to the hotel. He walked into the door and sat on the bed. He relaxed a bit, remembering her smell. Her presence was so near, but he couldn't get near her, yet.

He fell back into the bed, so glad that he was here. She was nearby and he could have one last moment before she slept, but things would be getting complicated. Soon Joel, David, Mao, Okamura, and Lewis would be here in Okinawa and this would make it more difficult to get to her, but at least he had given her the note. He began unpacking and waited for 12.

That afternoon, Saya came home from school and raced up stairs to relax before she took her turn with the twins. She opened the door to her room and looked around. Everything was the same as this morning when she left, but something had changed, she felt it. She ran her hand over the folded jacket and took a deep breath. The air had changed, there was a charge of excitement and a strong scent of roses… and… _him. _

Lulu came in and began to talk, "Saya, have you noticed anything? I know I sensed him earlier, but I never saw him and…"

Saya laid down on the bed, breathing deeply and smiling as her head found the pillow and her hands snaked underneath it. She was surprised as her right hand found a neatly folded piece of paper. Her brows furrowed with confusion as she sat upright with it in her hand. As she unfolded it, she immediately recognized the neat ornate handwriting, but this time, in Japanese.

_Saya,_

_I am alive and I will see you soon, please do not be sad. I am still weak and can only see you for a short time. I just need to see you one last time before you sleep for thirty years. I love you._

_Hagi_

Lulu gasped as Saya sat, dumbfounded, both with the same thought, _he was here._

The next three days were rather rainy. Marva called often to check on them. Hagi remembered that he wasn't sure Claudia's plan would work, Marva was being very cautious with him, but Claudia told her mother something that tipped the scales back in their favor. She said, "Momma, he's a chiropteran, not an old man, if we don't let him get back to acting like himself, he might lose his mind." It sounded funny, but Hagi felt it to be true, in a way. He needed to get out of being behind closed doors, it made him feel much better to be sneaking around and lurking in windowsills. It may seem creepy, but it was a part of who he was.

Claudia warned Hagi not to go out in the rain, but he was feeling his strength coming back to him. He still was not at full strength, but he was much faster than when he first arrived.

This evening, Claudia had decided to go sightseeing. Hagi showed her different popular stores, and places, avoiding Omoro, hoping that he would avoid running into anyone from Saya's family. He knew that he looked like a completely different person now, but he wasn't sure if they really could be fooled by a short hair cut and a wardrobe change.

He inwardly cringed as he caught his own reflection in a storefront window. Black wavy hair cropped at the jaw line, black long-sleeved t-shirt sporting a silver image of some strange rock band he vaguely recognized, the previously mentioned shirt tucked into those dreaded camouflage cargo shorts, and brown sandles. He looked so unlike himself.

Claudia chuckled as she noticed his glance at his reflection. She grabbed his arm and spoke quietly in his ear, "You look so much better than you think."

He suddenly froze, which made Claudia follow his gaze to a young, red haired man. "Just relax," she advised.

Kai had run out of some supplies at the Omoro and, thankfully, Lewis took over cooking for him while he ran to the store with a list in hand. He was mumbling under his breath about some problem when he ran into a familiar face. He stared in disbelief at the man in front of him and the dark haired, blue-eyed man stared back.

_This can't be him_, Kai thought._ Look at him- short hair, American t-shirt, those shorts, and what is up with those shoes? Who is that with him? I know her! She's that new designer Mao's been going crazy about- what's her name- Trudeaux?_

He walked up to them and to Hagi's surprise he began to speak to Claudia, "Excuse me, Miss Trudeaux, right?"

"Yes, that's me," Claudia smiled, knowing where this was going.

"I thought so. My friend Mao is a really huge fan of yours, I was wondering if you could give me an autograph- for her I mean?" he managed to get out.

She smiled as he handed her the other side of his grocery list and the pen in his hand. She asked, "M-A-O, right?" She now understood Hagi's reaction earlier and knew exactly who this was. She signed Claudia Trudeaux.

Kai turned his attention to the tall man once again, "You really look like someone I know. Do I know you?"

Hagi simply answered, "I don't think so."

Claudia quickly informed, "This is my brother."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kai stammered and stuck out his hand, "Kai Myagusku."

Hagi shook his hand and just said, "Trudeaux."

Kai shook Claudia's hand, thanked her, and they parted ways.

_His hand was bandaged, _Kai thought,_ just like… Nah, it couldn't be him. He wouldn't have a sister… a last name? What did he say his first name was?_ Kai shook his head._ It wouldn't be him. I know him. He wouldn't be caught dead or alive looking like that._

"I can't believe he didn't recognize me," Hagi commented quietly as they walked back toward the hotel.

"Of course not, I told you before, you don't look like a mortician anymore."

He laughed as he pushed her playfully and she pushed back. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kai watching them He commented, "I never did look like a mortician."

"Oh, right. Everyone walks around in long black suit jackets with long tails, black slacks and oxfords, carrying a black cello case that looks like some sort of coffin." Claudia teased.

Kai had turned to watch them as they left. He couldn't hear the conversation, but he saw the man push the designer playfully and laugh._ Now I know that isn't him. Hagi could barely form a smile, his face would probably break if he laughed like that, but it's weird how he sounds like him and everything._

The sun was barely peeking up from the horizon when Hagi quietly climbed in through Saya's window. He didn't have much time, Lulu was feeding the blue-eyed twin they had named Habiki. He just wanted to see Saya one last time. The party was tonight and he sensed she had been fighting back her hibernation for a while. He looked at her sleeping peacefully in her bed with his note clutched in her hand. How he longed to just stand by the window and keep watch over her every night as he had done for the past 2 years.

She stirred slightly and he leaned over her, smoothing her long bangs out of her face and behind her ear. She smiled in her sleep and spoke, "Hagi."

He whispered to her, "I am here Saya, and I always will be. Her left hand reached up and captured his hand. She sleepily opened her eyes and stretched without releasing his bandaged hand, bringing it far above her head, forcing him to stretch out next to her on the bed. She placed her right hand on the back of his head, pressing his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss. He moved both his arms around her and pressed her closer to himself. When they finally breathed again, he softly purred, "I have missed you."

Her eyes stayed closed as she smiled and embraced him. She pressed her face into his shoulder as she breathed in the familiar smell of him. Her mind drifted back to the Met and the balcony falling over him and a crystallized Amshel. She sobbed into his button down dress shirt as her hold around him tightened, "Please, don't leave me, again. I never thought I'd see you again, and I couldn't cope."

He stroked her hair and whispered in her ear, "I must go back for a time, to regain my strength. I will tell you of everything I do while you are sleeping, when you wake up next time." He leaned toward her, to kiss her cheek, but she caught his mouth with her own again. She moaned as she pulled him in even tighter as she opened her mouth and rubbed her tongue across his bottom lip. He opened his mouth and began to explore her mouth with his tongue.

She moved her mouth down his jaw line and to his neck, licking the pulse point and causing shivers to rock through his body. She was pleased at his excited reaction and teasingly licked, again as she unbuttoned the top two buttons and open the shirt. She then bit into his neck as he stifled a moan of pleasure. She took strong pulls of his blood while her hand explored the back of his neck and head. After a moment, she pulled away, licking the wound and watching it quickly seal up. She wiped her mouth with her fore arm and sat up next to him. She giggled, "What did you do to your hair?"

He sat up next to her, putting a bandaged hand on her inner thigh, he answered quietly, "The story of what has happened to me is too long to tell right now. I will tell you when you awaken again."

"I don't like it like this," she commented as she tangled her hand into the back of his head. "I want you to grow it back, again."

He was lost in her eyes that were a deep burgundy color at the moment. He felt his mouth being drawn to hers as he answered, "If that is what you wish."

He tasted his blood in their kiss as she pulled him to her so very tightly, as if by doing so, she could keep them together forever. He let her lead the kiss, as he let her lead in every other area, but he could feel the time passing all around them. Kai would soon be up and Lulu would sense that he was here, either one may interrupt them any time now. Their eyes were closed as she pulled him to lay down next to her in the bed. She placed small kisses against his mouth and pleaded, "Please, just a bit longer?"

He loved her aggressiveness in this fully awakened state. She was so shy before, but probably still was, after all, he had just woke her from a dream and in her bedroom. He looked into her eyes and just couldn't pull away from her. If only they had the power to stop time. He pressed his forehead to hers and sadly stated, "I wish I could." He kissed her forehead and was gone with a light gust of wind. He had left her breathless and unsure of whether she had been dreaming or awake, but she could taste his blood in her mouth. She noticed the space that had occupied his cello case was now empty.

He arrived back at the hotel room to Claudia getting up. She noticed him licking his lips and setting the cello case against the wall and knew where he had come from. She smirked as she observed, "You two got pretty hot and heavy, huh?" She tossed him a jar of lip balm from her carry-on bag.

He smoothed some over his lips, tossed it back to her, and mumbled that he needed to take a shower and headed to the restroom.

She raised her eyebrows and added, "Oh, a cold shower? Maybe I should have made you take some protection. Never knew you to be so forward, Big Brother."

He closed the door and began to run the shower. He was indeed surprised at how quickly the events between he and Saya had progressed in the early morning. He would have to remember not to go so far with the kissing next time.

After he was showered and dressed in khaki cargo shorts and a navy shirt, he came back in the bedroom, stretching himself across the twin bed where he rested on occasion. He didn't need sleep anymore as his body had almost completely recovered, but he was dreading the next 30 years without those eyes… those lips… that voice… that kiss.

Claudia had taken over the bathroom. Hagi could hear her singing some pop song, off-key and chuckled. He noted the bottles of soaps, creams and various products scattered on the vanity- all hers. Then, he noticed the pink suitcases and garment bags on her side of the room. His side had a grey suitcase, matching garment bag, and the black cello case with silver metallic filigree. _How different we are,_ he mused._ I am used to fighting and being on the move, packing only the necessities. Now I feel like a tourist. _He was happy, though. No more fighting, Saya would wake to a life of peace at long last!

He let his eyelids shut as he imagined what he was going to do when he got back to Texas. Will he travel? Will he learn something new? Who will he meet? How much time will he spend in Okinawa with Saya and the twins? The possibilities stretched out before him like the various freeways that tangled themselves in the heart of New York City. He knew he wanted to see Houston, he had heard it was like New York, but there was more land and the roads were different. There were rodeos, and jazz clubs, and even the space program did tours of their facility. It was amazing what mankind had accomplished in the past 100 years.

Claudia came out of the bathroom in a purple robe with a towel wrapped around her head. She saw Hagi stretched out over the bed, hands interlaced behind his head, staring at the ceiling. She smirked, "I hope you're not thinking of her. You'll end up taking another cold shower."

"How do you know that I needed a _cold_ shower, Claudia."

"The way you were walking when you came in made it very obvious," she laughed. Then she waved, "I know, I know, I've been around ranch hands too long."

He only stared at the ceiling. He was not about to get into it with Claudia about his love life. It was bad enough when she teased him about being by Saya's side without being _with_ her, as she had put it.

"You're ignoring me, Big Brother," she observed, shaking a finger at him. "What are you hiding?"

"I'm not ignoring you, Claudia," he answered honestly. "I was just thinking about what my future will be like. I never dared to think past the fighting, but now I am. I'm thinking about living."

Claudia surprised him with a hug as he felt joyful tears against his neck. She wiped her eyes and said, "I was so worried that I'd never see you again, Big Brother. I'm so glad you convinced her to live."

"As am I," he responded as he hugged her back.


	11. Chapter 11

Hagi watched from the party at Omoro from the ballpark across the street, everyone was there that had fought along side Saya and Hagi. Everyone chatting and laughing. The war was over and peace had come, but Saya was losing the battle within herself, he watched from the shadows. He wore his black, long sleeve t-shirt and black slacks just for the purpose of not being noticed.

Saya came out of Omoro and crossed the street to the ballpark. She thought she had sensed his presence was there, but exhaustion was fogging her mind. She rattled the fence, trying to fight away the fatigue, but her efforts were futile, she knew this. Her time was up. She looked back at Omoro with a smile and felt the fog crowding her thoughts as she fell.

Hagi watched Kai catch Saya. He had seen the boy come out of Omoro a moment after Saya and knew that this was how it should be. Kai will take Saya to the family tomb, he needed this time with his sister, Hagi understood that kind of love. Unbeknownst to the Red Shield, Kai, and even Saya, Hagi had a sister and a family that he loved. Hagi headed to the tomb, knowing he would get there before Kai.

Hagi was perched on the stone roof of the Myagusku family tomb as Kai carried Saya up the steps. He was speaking to her when she finally fell into her deep sleep. Tears streamed down his face as he spoke, "You taught me about what is important and what is not." Hagi was pleased with this, he had watched as this headstrong, foolish boy had grown into a responsible young man in the past two years. George would be proud of his son and daughter. They had fought valiantly and faced losses and came out of this stronger and more mature than most others their age, but Saya wasn't mortal. She was an infinite being like himself. She did not remember until recently, all the losses, heartache, and defeat she had faced before, so it was like she really was a sixteen-year-old girl that grew up before their eyes.

Kai laid Saya down and placed the photo on the rock nearby. It would not last in her chrysalis and she would want it to be there when she woke up. This gave him an idea, but he needed to gather some supplies and things. He told her, "Sleep well, Saya. By the time you wake up, I'll have grey hair and wrinkles, but you'll still be my sister." He headed down the stairs to go home.

Hagi waited until Kai had gotten almost halfway down the steps before he jumped down and quietly entered the tomb. Saya's breathing was beginning to slow. Hagi removed the bandage of his right hand and revealed the claw. He touched her cheek gently and whispered her name. Her eyelids fluttered and she focused her gaze on his face. Hagi had discovered during her second sleep, that he could rouse her from her sleep as long as it was just before her breathing nearly stopped. She only stayed awake for a few minutes, but it was just enough time to say goodnight.

"Hagi," she whispered hoarsely, "I knew you wouldn't leave without saying goodnight."

"Of course not," he said as he stroked her newly cut hair from her face. "May I kiss you goodnight?"

She furrowed her brows, "Why do you need to ask? Just kiss me, if that is what you want."

His mouth was a fingertip away from hers as he said, "Only if you want me to."

"Yes, I want you to," she answered back and he pressed his lips to hers. She pulled him to her as the kiss deepened. Their tongues rubbing against each other. He wanted to slow this down, to make it last, but she would soon be sleeping again. They were rushing against time. They broke for air and he traced her lips with a scaly finger before she crushed her body to him, kissing him and caressing his neck, shoulders, and chest. He pulled away and panted, "I love you, Saya. I will always love you, no matter what happens, no matter how much you forget- even if you forget me."

Tears fell from her eyes as she responded, "How could I ever forget you now? I only wish I would have realized how much I loved you before. I took for granted that you would always be there, but when I thought I'd lost you, I realized that I love you too.

They came together again with hands tangling in each other's hair, neither one wanting it to end. Soon Saya's kisses became slow and lazy and he watched her arms fall to the ground. He pulled her to his chest and held her with her head resting in the crook of his shoulder. Tears fell from his eyes as he wondered, _Will she even remember that this happened when she wakes again. It seems every time she has woken from her long sleep, her memory is wiped clean. She probably will not remember that I am in love with her or that she was even in love with me. I will always love her no matter what happens, but I wish to have more for myself. I wish for this love to remain the same and not have to teach it to her like fighting, tying your shoes, Diva, pouring milk into a glass, and chiropterans. I want her to smile for me and to love me as she does now, not as a stranger that protects her. _

He held her as the silken threads began to spin themselves over her body. He couldn't let her go, he wanted to join her and sleep that forgetful sleep. Maybe it would ease the pain he felt as his heart was breaking. This was why- this was why he didn't want to tell her he loved her. It was worse than losing her, it was worse because she'd wake up and live again and may not ever remember him or his love for her. His throat hurt from the raw sadness that racked his body with sobs. He finally let her go and brought his knees to his chest . He watched the chrysalis, his sight blurred by tears, as it begin to fix itself to the stone wall and anchor itself to the ceiling. Saya was, again, in hibernation.

It felt like an eternity that he sat there. The tears soon subsided and he took in a deep breath. His voice echoed through the stone tomb as said, "I will always love you, Saya. I hope you are right. I hope you do not forget me or my love for you." He came to his feet and wrapped the bandage around his hand. Hagi gave one last look back at the chrysalis before he disappeared into the night.

Claudia heard him come into the hotel room and sit on the bed. She glanced away from the tv to acknowledge his presence and then returned to the program she was watching. Her gaze fixed on him again a moment later as she had noticed something was different. His face was stoic as usual, but Claudia knew how to see past the placid, expressionless face. He was staring at the wall- a sign his mind was far away, and the corner of his eye was slightly pink- a sign he had shed tears recently.

"Hagi, what's the matter?" she asked as she muted the volume of the tv.

"It is nothing, continue watching your program," he answered in his monotone way, trying to cover his emotionally ragged state.

She moved over next to him and scolded, "That's bullshit and you know that I know it! You're the one that changed my diapers when I was a baby. I have been around you for my entire life, watching you like a puppy intently watches it's master. I know you better than anyone, except maybe Saya and I know there's something very wrong right now."

He didn't move or respond. He continued to stare at the wall, his mind tumbling over the disconcerting thoughts of Saya awakening and not remembering him. Imagining her playing around her nieces and parties on the beach with Kai as he watched from the shadows, longing to be by her side. He could feel the knife twist in his heart with the thought of never feeling that kiss again. Could he truly stay by her side while harboring that lonely, empty feeling?

"She has fallen asleep, hasn't she?" Claudia asked as she rubbed his shoulder.

His elbows rested on his knees as his face fell into his hands, ebony locks falling around his head. He knew he didn't need to answer her, she already knew. He felt her pull him into her arms. Too emotionally wrecked to cry, he settled against his sister's shoulder. He just wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep for an eternity. Waiting would be painful, but it was nothing he had not faced before, but not knowing if she would ever remember his love or her love for him- that was unbearable.

She tried to think of what to do, she could always bring a smile to his face, but it was their mother that could bring out the raw emotions that he bottled up behind that stoic face. She wasn't sure what to do, their mom was on the other side of the planet right now. "Mom is always so good about getting you through these situations," she mused out loud. "What would she tell you right now, Big Brother? Would she hold you? What would she say to you?"

He sensed her distress and simply answered in a hoarse whisper, "Just let me be for a while."

She pulled away to look at him, "Are you kidding? You must not know me. I never let things alone." She put her hands on his cheeks turning his face to look into his glazed, blue eyes with her brown ones. "Do you remember the years after that boy raped me? I know you do!" she demanded. "You never stopped trying to get me to talk to you, no matter how much I ignored you or hurt you. I knew it hurt you, but you never gave up and you never stopped trying until I talked to you again- I am not giving up on you now."

He sat up next to her. She was worried about him and he knew she would start sighting Marva's sayings about family being there for each other. She wasn't going to simply let him be, so he may as well get this out. He took in a ragged breath, stilling his worried thoughts as he began, "Saya is now in hibernation."

Claudia gave a stern expression, proving that she knew there was more to it.

"She loses her memory every time she goes into her sleep." He looked away as his voice became quieter. "She will forget all that has happened."

She put her hand on his back. He was surprised when she finished his thought, "She will forget your love confession, that she almost lost you, and that she's in love with you as much as you are with her." He turned to look at her, surprise actually evident in his expression. _Now he shows emotion,_ Claudia thought. She finished, "You don't know how you can bear being beside her without being with her. You are no longer content with just being her chevalier, you decided you want more. It's _your _wish!" She smiled sadly with the realization, "Finally, you decided you want _something_ for yourself!"

"I do not deserve it. That is why I cannot have it," he responded. "It is being taken from me because it is not my place to…"

She cut him off by covering his mouth with her hand. She growled angrily, "Don't you dare say it! Don't you dare!" She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, "Don't you see how all these women stare at you and practically faint when you walk by? My God, Hagi, how can you still be thinking of yourself as some kind of slave that doesn't deserve to breathe air? If it weren't for you, Saya would never have won this war and Diva would have turned everyone into chiropterans. The world owes you everything it can give- Hagi you deserve happiness! I don't want you to ever say that you don't deserve anything again. You- are- my- brother. I can hold my head high because of the things you've taught me, and it doesn't hurt that the industry I work in is fawning over you- girls and guys."

"Claudia, that is irrelevant. The whole world is not what I want," he sighed as he laid back, feeling the soft pillow meeting and embracing his tired head. "I only want her."

Claudia sighed. She leaned over and put a finger in his face, "You are lovesick and hopeless." She sat down rubbing her face in her hands. She looked back at him after a moment and asked, "So, you gonna stay here and pine for her for the next 30 years?"

"No."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

She glared at him, "I'm asking you if you are going to do what she wanted you to do, or are you going to mope around like you said she did when she thought you had died?"

"What she wanted me to do?" he asked.

"Come on, Hagi, I may have only seen her a couple of times now, but even I could see those burgundy eyes were pleading for you to live."

"When did you see her?"

"Hagi…" she groaned, "It's a photo shoot- teenage girls are drawn to them like a moth to a flame."

She patted his knee as she got up to go to her own bed, "Get some sleep, Big Brother. You have some living to do here before we go back to New York." She tossed him a wrapped up towel and stated, "By the way, I forgot to give this to you earlier. I cleaned and sharpened them for you, thought you'd like to spar with me sometime." She added with a wink, "If you can keep up."

He smiled as he pulled back a layer of the terry cloth to see his long lost daggers, sharpened with a razor's edge. "You sharpened them well," he appraised as he tested one in his hand.

"Jim taught me about how important it is to have a good, sharp fillet knife when you go fishing. Your daggers were getting dull as you didn't have much time to sharpen them. I was still working on Saya's sword before we left. I will finish when we get back."

"Thank you, sister."

"You're welcome, Big Brother."

The next day, Hagi went to check on Saya, his daggers in the lower pockets of those camouflage cargo shorts. He was beginning to like them, they were cooler than his dress pants in the Okinawa humidity. He wished his arms didn't need to be covered in bandages. They were getting hot and itchy with the heat, but he never showed any sign of discomfort. He entered the cool tomb and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He felt his sorrow returning as he put his hand on the soft threads that encased his treasured queen and spoke to her, "Saya, I was feeling sorry for myself. Forgive me. I know that you want me to continue on with life. I have decided to go back with my family. Yes, I have a family just as you. I have a sister and a mother, they adopted me just after my father, Jeff, died. One day, I hope you will meet them and all the other people who have accepted me into their lives as George, Kai, and Riku accepted you into theirs. You were wrong when you said that we cannot co-exist with humans, and I am glad that I convinced you to live so that one day I will be able to prove it to you. I love you, Saya."

He turned to the remains of George, Riku, and Diva. Confusion flashed across his face but quickly left, he knew Saya would want her to have a resting place. She was her sister, after all.

"I thought I felt your presence."

Hagi spun around, dagger I hand, to face the small robed figure with purple hair. "Lulu."

She looked up at him, "Wow! You look really different, Hagi! Why did you decide to cut your hair? Your outfit makes you look like an American tourist."

He kept an even expression as he answered with a lie, "I needed a change."

"Where have you been? Saya was so upset when she thought you died. We waited and waited for the rescue workers to find you, but all they found was Diva and Amshel's bodies. Amshel's was nothing but ash, but Saya asked them to bring Diva's body back here so she would have a resting place."

"I am happy that Saya gave Diva peace. It is a long story, how I survived, I am still healing. I could not resist seeing Saya one last time."

"I know," she giggled, "when you came that early morning, Saya knew you'd come, so she warned me not to interrupt. I have to obey her since I am acting as her chevalier in your place."

"Thank you, Lulu," he bowed gracefully. "I do not know how I can ever repay your kindness. I must ask you to keep my visit's a secret. Do not tell anyone that you have seen me."

"Sure, if you do me a favor."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Stop being so stuffy! Relax a bit, you got the right outfit and hairstyle. I don't think Saya would like the hair, but I think it looks good."

"I will try," he responded with a small smile as he left.

He walked to the set and Claudia waved him in. Roberto was blowing kisses as he snapped shots of a blonde woman wearing a pink bikini. Two more models sauntered between Hagi and Claudia and gave him sultry glances and one nearly slapped his back side. He dodged and came to his sister's side. She was checking her notebook and shouting orders, her emergency sewing kit by her side. "Ah, last set at last," she groaned with exhaustion.

He smiled. "Do you need any help?" he asked as a distraught model whined that the hem of her bathing suit cover had pulled loose, again.

She began stitching the hem as the blonde from the earlier set came up and asked about some design that she would rather have in purple and not pink. Claudia warned, "Now is not the time, we are almost finished with this shoot and then I'm headed to New York meetings and final tweaks to the winter line. If you have any questions, email me."

The model stormed away in a huff. Hagi watched her walk away and quietly mentioned to Claudia, "You were harsh with her."

The models hem was repaired and she headed to the set. She looked at him and responded, "You have to be firm with her, otherwise she'll whine and pout all day. If you're harsh with her, she pouts for a little while, but bounces back. Each model has their own issue just like any other person, you gotta know how to push the right buttons, Big Brother." She winked as she walked to Roberto's side and spoke for a minute.

He smiled as he watched the last photos being taken. _How many people get to witness something like this from up close?_ he thought,_ I am already living a life that is so amazing. Saya will never believe it._

Claudia and Hagi walked along the beach as sets were dismantled and workers cleaned the beach. The sun was low in the sky surrounded in pink and dotted with deep lavender clouds. The sky above them was a deep shade of blue and twinkling stars were appearing with a pale crescent moon. They didn't speak, they didn't need to. Claudia was relieved that Hagi was in better spirits and she was ready to return to New York. She wanted to get him to Dr. Stein for a blood transfusion and to make certain he was healing well. She suddenly felt something pass between them and was surprised when a certain blonde haired photographer appeared before them holding a familiar wallet.

Hagi was on him in a flash, dagger at the blonde man's throat.

"What are you doing Hagi?" Claudia shouted, "That's Nathan Mahler, the reporter."

Hagi held him still, dagger nicking him, causing a dribble of blood to stain his periwinkle, frilly shirt.

"My- my- my," the blonde commented, "I must say I'm flattered that you like my hairstyle enough to copy it, but those shorts! Tsk- tsk. You really should choose something more your color."

"My wallet, Nathan," Hagi demanded as Nathan wriggled away and stood next to Claudia.

"You really should do something about him," Nathan told her as he leaned against her. "He's simply too serious."

"Nathan, Hagi, what is going on?" Claudia asked.

Ignoring her, Nathan continued to tease Hagi by opening the wallet, removing the driver's license and began fawning over the photo, "Awe, you take such a handsome picture." He reappeared next to Hagi, showing him the license, "You look much better with long hair- and a _smile_? I never thought it was possible for you to become any hotter! But wait- you are from Texas?"

Hagi swung at him, but connected with air as Nathan appeared by Claudia. "Nathan," Hagi stated flatly as he held another wallet in his hand, "I do believe you dropped this."

A surprised Nathan looked back as Hagi began to open the wallet, as well. He then smirked with understanding. "Why you little gypsy!"

Hagi smirked back, "Would you like me to rifle through the contents or will you return my wallet to me?"

Nathan put the card back in the wallet and tossed it back. Hagi tossed Nathan's back as well. They both checked the contents, Nathan growled, "My money?"

Hagi handed a wad of cash and added, "I was just holding on to it in case you were trying to trick me."

Nathan smirked, "Amshel was right to choose you. You're a sneaky, resourceful piece of eye candy. No wonder Saya wants you."


	12. Chapter 12

"Nathan is a chevalier?" Claudia asked, surprise evident in her voice and expression. "Wait a minute- you are not Saya's chevalier and Diva is dead along with her chevaliers. So, who is your queen?"

Hagi was surprised at how quickly Claudia had figured this out. He remembered now that it was Nathan that had dug him out of the Met, but he had warned him of something- what was it? Hagi placed the wallet in one of the front pockets of the cargo shorts, buttoning it shut. He knew if Nathan really wanted it, he could get to it, but it would take a great deal of effort. _These shorts really are useful, _he thought.

Nathan gave a sly grin as he responded, "Why Claudia, I guess you're not just another pretty face, are you?"

Hagi stepped between Nathan and Claudia and growled a warning too deep for Claudia to hear. Nathan frowned, "Now, is that any way to speak to the man who saved your life?"

Claudia pushed Hagi aside and spoke, "I thought I recognized you that night! Who are you, really? Why did you save my brother?"

"Well it's simple," Nathan answered. "I am Saya and Diva's mother's chevalier."

Hagi even gave a look of complete shock.

Nathan smiled at the dramatic expressions displayed before him. "Oh, please, did you really think that Diva and Saya were the only chiropterans in the world? There were once a great many, but over time that number has dwindled," he informed as he checked his nails.

"How many?" Hagi asked as his eyes narrowed.

Nathan waved off the question, "Oh, you need not concern yourself with that now, handsome- or should I call you 'Pretty Boy?" Nathan gave a sidelong glance at Hagi with a wicked smile.

"How do you know that name?" Claudia asked as Hagi awaited an answer from the blonde chevalier.

"It is obvious, Claudia," Hagi responded for Nathan, "he has been following me."

Nathan clapped his hands dramatically and responded, "Bravo! Like sister like brother. They aren't connected by blood but they are both so very smart." He then began his tale, "Diva and Saya's aunt, Chitose, asked me to look after you and Saya as well as Diva. The First Queen, Queen Aksaya, commanded me to kill Amshel as soon as he began to experiment with turning humans into chiropterans. She knew he was a danger to not only Diva, but all mankind." He looked at Hagi and continued, "I would have killed him, but Saya insisted on finishing him off herself instead of running and leaving him to die in the bombing."

He then appeared next to Hagi and grabbed his chin as he added, "Then you had to take the sword from her, giving your life to save them all." He turned to Claudia as Hagi swatted him off, "He thinks he must be Superman. Oh wait, Batman!" He laughed as he continued in his teasing, "That's right, you've never transformed in front of your family, right?"

He appeared again next to Claudia, "Oh you should see it- two red scaled chiropteran claws and enormous black bat wings! Such a sight, like a dark angel, or should I say, demon?"

Claudia grabbed his wrist and looked into his eyes. "What is it you want?" she asked again.

He chuckled and easily shook her hand off as he said, "Oh please little girl," he let his eyes glow red and a deep chiropteran voice finished, "I'd rip you apart in less than a second."

Hagi appeared between them, shielding Claudia from Nathan. He kept his voice even as he responded, "You will not hurt her." She didn't see how it happened, it was so fast, but there was a dagger embedded in Nathan's hand. Nathan removed the dagger and let the wound heal before their eyes.

He returned the dagger and announced, "I didn't come here to fight, Hagi. You know why I am here. I came to remind you that Queen Aksaya has given you her blessings to marry Saya, even though your union will not bring forth children."

"What do you mean? Hagi and Saya can get married but can't have kids?" Claudia asked.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean," Nathan responded as he flipped his hair with his hand, growing impatient with this conversation.

"He is right. It is unnatural for Saya and I to have children," Hagi added.

"Unnatural?" Claudia asked.

"Oh, Hagi," Nathan waved, "you of all chiropterans should know how curious these humans can be. Wasn't it the Red Shield that tricked you into waking Saya early during the Vietnam War? They will do anything to try to take us apart and study each piece, just like Amshel. Don't let them get experimental with Saya, they might cause more trouble."

"I will never let them experiment on Saya," Hagi responded, bandaged fists clenched. "I have learned from the past not to trust The Red Shield. I know they cannot wake Saya early without my blood. That is why I cannot let them find me."

Claudia put a hand on Hagi's bandaged arm as she watched Nathan. She whispered to Hagi, "We are going to New York tomorrow. They will never think to find you there."

He placed his other bandaged hand over hers and said to Nathan, "Thank you for your warning, Nathan. All Saya would want is peace and all I want is for her to be happy."

"You mean you don't want to marry her?" Claudia asked.

"I cannot answer for Saya," he responded.

Nathan gave a sly smile as he disappeared in a gust of wind, kicking up clouds of sand causing Hagi and Claudia to shield their faces. After the sand settled Hagi asked Claudia, "Are you alright?"

She nodded through her cough. She let out a startled, "Hey!" as he lifted her off the ground and fled the scene in a flash. "What are you doing?" she asked as she clung to him for dear life.

"I cannot risk being out in the open like this, someone is watching."

"Yeah, Nathan."

"Someone other than Nathan. He is not following, but I would not want to take a chance.

An olive skinned man with black curly hair watched as Hagi carried off Claudia in a blue streak. His face frowned as Nathan came closer and a deep scar etched his face from the left eyebrow extending down to the left earlobe. Nathan appeared by his side and bowed, right hand crossing his chest. The man spoke in a deep gravely voice, "Has Red Queen Saya's first knight been warned?"

"Yes, he has, First Knight," Nathan answered.

"Then we have no more business here," he observed and then, disappeared. Nathan followed a moment later.

Claudia was packing her things into one of her suitcases as she laid things out that she would need in the morning to get ready. Taking a set of shorts and a t-shirt, she headed for the bathroom. The door closed and the shower began running.

He sat on his bed, his things already packed, as usual. Always prepared to be on the move, as if he was still fighting. Some things never change. Over a century of habit had him set in his ways. As he waited for Claudia to emerge from the shower, he wondered, _Are they still following me? What is it that he wanted, or was he just observing? Perhaps he was confirming that Nathan relayed the message. I thought the fighting was over, at last, but it seems that I will have to continue watching over Saya and now myself, as well. _

He gave a sigh. It was the only thing that physically gave away any expressiveness. His stoic face always hid his emotions as well as his thoughts from everyone, but two women, the one he called Sister and the other he called Mom. He was concerned for Saya's safety, as well as his family and hers. _Why didn't I feel Nathan's presence at all when he was following me through the years?_ He wondered,_ Can these chevaliers mask their strength so that it can't be recognized by other chiropterans? How will I defend against this if that is true? I do not feel any other chevaliers right now, but I cannot risk them finding Saya. They did not threaten her well being, but I cannot take the chance and leave Saya where they will find her. Should I move Saya or should I stay here to protect her from this new threat?_

While he debated within himself over what was to be done, Claudia left the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She noticed he had changed into his boring black and white ensemble. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she grabbed the coconut hair oil and sat on her bed, busying herself with her hair. She looked at Hagi. He was slouched on the end of his bed, letting a blue ribbon fall over one bandaged hand to another as he pondered his options. Knowing that he was worried about this new threat not only to Saya, but possibly everyone on the planet, she tried to think of some words that would comfort him, but none were coming to mind.

Finally she decided to just ask, "What are you planning?"

He simply mumbled, "I am not sure what to do just yet. I will return to where Saya sleeps and try to form a plan." He placed the ribbon on his bed as he stood and pocketed his daggers. "I will return to inform you of my plans later tonight, Sister."

"Hagi, you are still not completely healed, will you be able to defend Saya in this state?"

"No. I may have to move her to a more secure place."

"Can you do that?"

"I have done it before, in Russia, when the Red Shied was formed. They were wanting to capture her for safe keeping. I had to move her several times during her sleep so they would not find her," he explained. "She willingly joined them during the Korean War, but when she fell asleep again, they would not let me watch over her. They crated her up and allowed me to follow, but I could not be near the crate." He looked down at the ribbon next to him as his look became more grave than usual. He continued, "In 1972, they had been taking samples of my blood to test their theories. One of the commanding officers came to them with information that Diva had awakened and they should wake Saya. I knew she would not want to miss the opportunity to end the war that had lasted nearly a century, so I agreed."

He sat back down on the bed and continued, "She was out of control. Everything was a target to her- chiropterans, soldiers, women, children- everything. I tried to calm her, but…" he looked away and took in a deep breath before he continued. "I could not calm her, she was not the Saya I knew. She cut off my arm, she would have killed me if the gun fire had not distracted her."

"So," Claudia affirmed, "that's why you don't trust the Red Shield. I can't say I blame you, after they did that, I wouldn't trust them either. Why didn't you take her when she fell asleep again after Vietnam?"

"I was afraid," he gulped. "I do not like to admit it, but I was afraid to go near her. My arm was healing and it would have been easy enough to take her from the battle worn band of soldiers, but I couldn't bring myself to go to her. I ran off into the jungle, by the time I had returned, she had disappeared with the soldiers and the Red Shield. I did not know where she was. I searched for her all over Europe and Asia before I found her here in 1980."

"You were searching for her when you met Mom and Dad," Claudia observed as she smoothed the oil through her hair, making the room smell like a tropical island.

Hagi smiled as he remembered meeting a colorful Marva at the Eiffel Tower. "Yes," he answered.

"Why did you stay with Mom and Dad instead of going to be with Saya?" she asked as she brushed through her hair.

"She needed the help, you were a few months from being born and Jeff was bedridden and needing almost constant care. The Red Shield was watching Saya and I could barely get to her. Being with your family was a welcome distraction from being separated from Saya. Marva decided that I should be your brother and her and Jeff's son."

She sat next to him on his bed and put a manicured hand over his bandaged one. "You are a part of the family, Hagi. No one needed to decide it, really. You are my brother no matter what." She grinned slyly as she shoved his shoulder and said, "I know how to distract you from your morbid thoughts."

"Thank you, Claudia, but I do not wish to hear any vulgar jokes or comments," he stated flatly.

She laughed as she responded, "No, Big Brother! Get your mind out of the gutter." She pushed him playfully. "Never thought I'd be saying that to you."

"My mind was never there, Sister, but I am worried about yours," he teased.

They laughed a bit before he became serious again, "I must check on Saya and figure out my next move. I will return before sunrise. Get some sleep." He kissed her forehead before he disappeared into the night.

He entered the tomb as the moon began to rise. He explained the situation out loud more to collect his thoughts than to inform Saya, he knew she would be of no help in her current state, but his voice would soothe her.

It had been at least an hour that Hagi was crouched by Saya's cocoon when he felt a distinct presence. A chevalier. He was nearing the tomb and his presence had an almost regal feeling to it. Hagi palmed a dagger as he appeared at the entrance to the tomb. He searched the surroundings and leapt toward the presence. He landed on the roof of building near the beach about a half mile from Saya. The man had his back to Hagi, he stood just short of 6 feet tall and had dark curly hair. He wore a red jacket that dated from the 1700s, but his regal demeanor revealed a much older chevalier.

The man turned, revealing an olive complexion with a large scar on the left of his face. The chevalier's eyes were chocolate brown and danced with an intelligence beyond the age he appeared to be. He spoke in Japanese with a gravely voice a heavy accent, "You are the first knight of the Red Queen Saya, are you not?"

Hagi stood as he readied a dagger in his bandaged hand.

He bowed to Hagi and stated, "I am The First Knight of Queen Aksaya, ruler of the immortal ones, you know our kind as chiropterans."

Hagi reluctantly bowed and stated, "I am Hagi, Saya's first chevalier."

He smiled, "Our kind does not give names to what you call chevaliers. We are knights that serve our queens. We are known by title only, but under the circumstances you and your queen have endured, many rules had to be bent or broken."

Hagi was curious, but opted to listen rather than question. He did not trust this chevalier- he did not know this chevalier.

"You may put those away. I do not wish to harm you or the sleeping queen," he informed as his eyes fixed on the sea. "I have watched you over the past century as is my duty to my queen.

Hagi felt the dagger in his hand, but he did not return it to his pocket. "How do I know you are no threat?"

The man smirked, "You don't. I understand that you have been at war a long time, longer than any other immortal before you. Most battles only last a few years, sometimes a few decades, but never has one before lasted a century." He added quietly, "I guess the ancient seers were correct about the Red Queen Saya."

Hagi waited quietly. The First Knight noticed the young knight's stoic demeanor, but could sense the turmoil as well as the strength underneath. _This knight holds a great untapped power behind his quietness. Azure Queen Saya's First Knight (Nathan) described him with eyes the color of the ocean, but this knight embodies the ocean. He has a great strength hidden behind the placidness. Like an ocean on a sunny breezeless day, one never knows what it will do when the weather turns or the tide shifts,_ the First Knight thought. _I certainly would not like to face him in an actual battle, especially if he discovered his hidden strength._

Hagi was curious, but opted for observing rather than questioning. _This chevalier was indeed quite older than he appeared to be. He is the First Queen's Knight, how old would that make him? How much stronger is he? I know Nathan is stronger and older than Amshel, I cannot imagine how much more powerful this knight is, _he thought_. _

"Let's stop sizing each other up, please," the First Knight suggested. "I really wish to tell you that your anxiety for your queen is unfounded. The only ones that wanted to cause harm are now dead. We wish only for your happiness as well as hers. You both have sacrificed so much for not only mankind, but our kind as well," he informed. He smiled as he noted the younger knight continuing to study him. "Our kind would have eventually have been discovered if Queen Diva's First Knight continued to experiment on Queen Diva's blood and it's effects on humans. We wished that we would have discovered the Red Queen Saya and Queen Diva before all of these events transpired, but we did not know until Blue Queen Saya's First Knight sought us out to inform us."

"Azure Queen Saya?" Hagi asked.

The First Knight smirked at the younger knight's curiosity. "You were informed by the Red Shield that your queen, Saya was named after her mother. Her mother was Azure Queen Saya, her first and only knight is called Nathan Mahler among the humans."

Hagi nodded in affirmation.

"By the time we knew of the circumstances, there was nothing we could do except send Nathan out as a henchman to kill Queen Diva's First Knight…"

"Amshel," Hagi finished.

"Yes. We could not interfere in a battle of the queens, but we could have handled Diva's knights ourselves if it weren't for Cinque Fleches putting the majority of the Azure Knights in the public eye. We cannot risk immortals being discovered, so we chose to observe and hope Nathan could eliminate the threat."

It grew quiet again. The First Knight was smiling again as he noted the younger chevalier was not going to speak.

"You certainly are a shrewd knight, most would question me until they had exhausted all my resources, but you choose to bide your time studying your supposed enemy. I will state again, we have no intention to harm you or the Red Queen Saya. You are our blood family and we do not want anything other than peace between us all."

Hagi's eyes narrowed, "You want peace, but you have your henchman watching me and speaking to me with veiled threats about a union that does not exist."

"I apologize for that. It was not my choice to send the Azure Queen Saya's First Knight, he has been a rogue knight for far too long. He will be punished for his shameful behavior."

Hagi felt a presence near the tomb and began to take off, he was held fast by two red claws as the First Knight issued an order too deep for human ears. Suddenly, the presence Hagi sensed stood before him and came to one knee with his brown hair falling in his face. "He meant no harm, Sir Knight, he is only four decades and still quite ignorant."

The older knight released Hagi and struck the young man hard, flinging him into a nearby wall. The wall cracked with the impact. As the young chevalier returned, Hagi noted his gashes healing before his eyes as the First Knight spoke, "This is the First Knight of the Red Queen Saya- the Warrior Queen. He would have killed you easily if I hadn't held him back."

"I apologize," the young knight stated as he came down to one knee before the two elder knights.

"He has much to learn, if he survives. He is far two impetuous for his own good. He is the First Knight of Red Queen Samiyah, she and her sister, Azure Queen Samantha, are the seers that informed us of your feelings for your queen. It is an abomination among our kind, to join with one's own queen, but your case is exceptional."

"Why?" Hagi asked, his stoic expression masking any emotion or suspicion.

"Because of the hardships you both have endured. You both deserve some happiness, after all," the First Knight answered. He turned to the young knight and stated, "You are dismissed."

The young knight looked up and began to go as he heard Hagi ask, "I cannot presume to know what Saya would want…"

"She's in love with you, too," the young knight interrupted as the First Knight's face clouded with rage. "You are the Knight and the Queen the legends spoke of…"

He was cut off by a strong swipe of the First Knight's claws. It sent him flying into the ocean. The First Knight issued a command that shook the ground, "Return home immediately!" He turned to Hagi, "I will deal with him severely when I return home. It seems these young knights have no self control."


	13. Chapter 13

"The legend?" Hagi asked.

"It is a legend of love. Love does not exist our kind, Sir Knight, pairings are meant for the purpose of creating the next generation. You and Red Queen Saya are the first to join out of love."

"I have not asked her…"

"I know, she forgets everything when she sleeps," he interrupted, "but you will revive her memories for her. Your presence will bring everything back to her. You were raised with her side by side. Your fate and hers were intertwined and can not be separated. It is why you can call to each other from the other side of the planet and hear each other."

Hagi looked at the ocean and thought, _She never has remembered upon awakening. My blood brings some of her memories back, but it comes in waves. They never rush in at once._

"I know it takes an excruciating amount of time for a queen to fully awaken, but with patience, they always do." He turned to face Hagi and added, "You may not believe this, but I envy you." He knew the younger knight would not respond, so he continued, "Despite the distance you maintained from humanity, somehow you belong to a family, as does your queen. That is another example of love that we do not share. A queen will raise her daughters until they reach 15 years of age, then they are considered queens and can choose knights to serve them."

Silence reigns for a few moments before Hagi speaks, "Nathan says that you live as a group- a family."

The older knight scoffs, "It is not a family. It is more like a community. The eldest queen dictates the rules and the younger queens obey and occasionally offer opinions. The only fighting the queens do is with their sibling, to the eventual death of one of them. Knight's exist to defend and do the bidding of their queen, although there is a hierarchy among us that keeps the younger ones in line. Breeding is only done once the victorious queen takes her sister's knight and, afterward the knight dies."

In Hagi's mind images flash of Riku's crystallized body laying on the floor of the sinking ship. He shook off the image and asked, "Why?"

The First Knight smirked, "That's right, you've never laid with her, have you?"

Hagi's eyes narrowed as he regarded the elder knight and thought, _That is none of your business._

He chuckled and soothed, "Relax, I can see it in your face, you have the innocent look of a man that has never laid with anyone, much less an immortal queen."

Looking away, Hagi stifled the urge to say something that he'd regret later. It didn't make the elder knight's assumptions any less true. He knew that he could never even see another woman the way he saw Saya. She was goddess that he worshipped, but he could not obtain. Other women could not hold a candle to her. Even in a moment of desperate need, another woman would simply seem like a blasphemy to him. She was his everything- his creator and his destroyer. Even if she killed him, he would never stop loving her, but he had never dared to even kiss her until recently.

The elder knight broke him from his thoughts, "When a queen is victorious against her sister, she chooses one of her sister's knights and he has 30 years to live, as the queen goes into hibernation (just like the Red Queen Saya has done). When she awakens, she will feed from her remaining knights and then lay with the chosen knight where he will feed on her blood and die." The elder knight regarded Hagi glancing toward his sleeping queen. The knight smiles before continuing, "You will find out soon, the first time a knight and queen mate, he cannot resist the urge to feed from her and you know all too well that your queen's sister's blood will kill you."

_So that is why Riku died,_ he thought._ He couldn't resist the urge to feed on Diva. _"Like a black widow spider," Hagi mused out loud.

"Yes, but our society doesn't mirror the life of a spider, but we were once solitary beings. Our kind lived in groups where there was one queen, her knights, and her two daughters. We only live in a community because it is safer now. Our kind has been hunted by humans far as long as I can remember. They called us demons, sorcerers, dragons, and witches- stigmas that mankind wanted to blot from the face of the earth."

He turns his blue eyes to meet the elder knight's brown ones and asks, "Is that how the Azure Queen Saya died?"

The First Knight regarded Hagi carefully, he thought, _He certainly caught on to that quickly, but it is not for me to tell him. Even if I could, I do not know enough of the details. He'll have to wait to hear what happened. _He answered, "I do not know any details, but we believe that is true."

They looked at the sea in silence for a time. Hagi's thoughts returned to Saya, he knew he was still too weak to defend her, but if he moved her he'd be followed.

"I know you are still not going to trust me, but I feel I must tell you again, your anxiety for your queen is unfounded," the First Knight commented. "Think about it, if we wanted to harm her, we would have done so by now. We only wish to watch over her. There are already two knights that guard her. They will alert us immediately if the Red Shield attempts to awaken her or there is any other danger." He looked at the place she slept, "You are weak still and need to return to your family. Nathan explained the situation that almost took your life. We will watch the Red Queen Saya until you are able to watch her yourself."

Hagi considered this. _I can feel that I am stronger now, than I have been, but I am not yet healed, not completely. They would have attacked by now if they wanted to do harm to either of us. I have no choice but to trust them and Lulu._ He suddenly realized and turned to the elder knight saying, "There is a young girl, a man-made chiropteran, named Lulu. She has been caring for Saya in my absence."

"We already know of her presence, she is unaware of ours."

Hagi nodded and then asked, "How do you mask your presence? I did not sense you at all until you allowed me."

The older knight chuckled, "You are finally curious enough to ask me something. That is a skill that no knight under 300 years can master. It is why you could sense the Knight of Queen Samiyah, he is not yet experienced enough to mask his strength."

Not willing to simply give in, Hagi asked, "How is it done?"

The elder knight continued to smile with a gleam in his eye, knowing full well that the knight that stood before him would never be able to master the skill for another 200 years. He gave Hagi a serious look and answered, "You must concentrate on your surroundings. You must be able to become one with the world around you."

Being able to blend in with his surroundings was how Hagi survived, but the idea of becoming one with his surroundings was an entirely different concept. This would require much practice, but he was a patient man. This could be done.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline was all that was heard the next few moments between the two knights. Regarding the younger knight, the First Knight finally commented, "You still have so few questions, Sir Knight. If I were in your place, I would have been wringing out all the information that I could."

Continuing to stare at the ocean that stretched before him, Hagi remained silent. His stoic face, as usual, belied his thoughts. Torrents of different questions tumbled through his mind. He wondered if he should ask or bide his time, the older knight seemed to enjoy speaking with him. Finally, the one question that was burning holes in his self resolve came to the surface. Hagi began, "You said that rules had to be bent or broken because of Saya and me. Could you explain why you said that?"

Running a hand through his dark, curly hair, the elder knight answered, "Saya and Diva were born in a place that did not know the laws in which we immortals govern ourselves, it would be unfair of us to hold them to laws that they were unaware of. Allowing humans to experiment on us is never allowed, but even today, the Red Shield is testing Saya's blood as well as some samples of Diva's from the Cinque Fleche company." He cleared his throat as he continued, "The next rule was how she turned you. A queen chooses her knights based on her sister queen's preferences, not her own, as it will be her sister queen that will mate with one of them. A man is told of the requirements of a knight and given an option before he receives a queen's blood. After that, he loses all names and titles of his human self and takes on the role and title of being his queen's knight. You were given no choice. Had your options been explained, you likely would have chosen to be Queen Diva's Knight instead."

"I have no regrets about the past. Saya gave me her blood to save me from death," Hagi stated plainly, "I would never have joined Diva's side, even if it meant death."

A knowing smile flashed across the First Knight's face, "You were turned because of love and you stay by her for the same reason. It is yet another rule that was broken, but we know why you desire your queen and not her sister. It is because you were in love with her long before you were turned."

The warm sea breeze brushed his dark waved hair away from his face as he nodded, the only response his somber face gave.

"Are you certain you want to continue?" the older knight asked, noting the sadness in his face.

Feeling the flow of memories of the beginnings of his love for her, Hagi nodded again as the breeze let up, allowing his hair to surround his down turned face once again. The heart in his chest ached with a desire to see Saya once again, like he had that day before he fell from the cliffs. Back to the time when she was innocent and full of mischievous laughter. Oh, how that smile made him melt! He had gladly endured many punishments just because of that smile.

The First Knight explained, "Also, the fact that you never have been trained as a knight, but yet thrown into the longest war ever endured by any immortal before you. It served as your training- trial by fire, so to speak. It was unfair to you, but yet you handled it honorably. But there are still many things that you seem to be unable to do, or unwilling. You have not allowed your inner strength to be released, why?"

The image of Saya's tear stained face as hands covered her open mouth in horror flashed in front of his eyes. All that had occurred when he just revealed a portion of the beast within him. He did not want to imagine the horror that she would surely feel if he actually let himself lose control. He answered plainly, "I have never needed to."

Nodding, the elder knight considered the response and commented, "True, you never have, but you are not curious to see how much stronger you are when you completely transform."

Holding the same stoic expression he answered, "I see no reason to."

"You mean that you see no reason to frighten your queen," he smirked and then continued as Hagi suppressed his surprise. He chuckled, "We have been watching you since the first Joel Goldschmidt died." Going back to the earlier subject, he stated, "You already know why knights cannot mate with their queen and that an exception has been made for this situation. Queens, when they reach 50 years, will fight to the death, but we understand that Queen Diva's knights kept shielding her from this. It is why the war went on for so long, they kept stalling for time, knowing that Queen Diva was certain to lose against a seasoned warrior queen like the Red Queen Saya." He chuckled, "It is truly amusing that they never understood that the more they drew this out, the stronger the Red Queen Saya became, as well as you."

Suddenly, a slight ripple shuddered through the night air, a call Hagi did not recognize. The First Knight's face became stern as he stated, "I will speak to you again once you are fully recovered, First Knight of the Red Queen Saya, but Queen Aksaya is calling me to return. Rest assured, we will keep watch over the Red Queen Saya while you recover." He faced Hagi and crossed a right arm over his chest and bowed. Hagi returned the gesture and watched as the knight disappeared in a blue streak toward the sea.

His eyes turned to the tomb where she had just begun her long hibernation. It was going to be the longest hibernation he'd ever endured. Now that his secret feelings for her had been revealed, and knowing she reciprocated those feelings, he was not looking forward to the agony of the next 30 years. "I will continue with life, Saya, for you and for us." He leapt into the night, heading for Omoro.

Kai could not sleep, unlike Kaori who had passed out on the sofa while watching the tv. He headed to the room he and Riku had shared which now only he occupied. Riku's 2 suitcases were still piled in the corner of the room, where Kai had left them when everyone had returned. He began sifting through the clothes and shoes that his little brother would never wear again, he folded them and debated on whether he should donate the clothes to charity or hold on to them. Diva's girls would not be wearing boy's clothes, but maybe Julia and David would have a son. He placed them back in the bag and turned to the next bag of clothes.

Everything was neatly folded and he noticed a smaller bag next to the clothes. He pulled it out and opened it. The bags contents consisted of various toiletries and a small disposable camera. _Riku, _he thought,_ I wonder what you took pictures of? _Kai's vision became blurry as tears threatened, he had found the picture strip that was taken in the photo booth in Paris. Kai noted his angry expression, Saya's good natured smile, and Riku, in front, with a genuinely wide grin. The picture was taken just before Riku died.

It was just Saya and him now, but she was asleep. Kai hoped for Hagi to return soon, he wanted to know that the chevalier would be here for his sister, when she woke up.

Hagi had noticed Kai going through some things in his room, so he moved quietly past Saya's young friend Kaori who was asleep on the couch. He went to the pair of bassinets in George's old room. Habiki opened her blue eyes and began a happy coo as the chevalier picked her up and cradled her in his bandaged arms. It brought back memories of Claudia. Secretly, he truly loved the feeling of cradling the small infant in his arms. Surely, one would think a battle hardened warrior like himself would have no interest in small children, but to him, it gave him a reason to continue to fight. To protect the innocent like these babies, he was glad Saya had spared her nieces' lives.

Kanade awoke and began to whimper as she noticed her sister being cradled and she desired the same warmth and attention. Hagi easily reached down and lifted the brown eyed sister in his free arm. He rocked them in his arms, humming a tune that he remembered from long ago, when he was still very young. But this was no place for those sad, lonely memories. These children are loved and wanted and Hagi let them know this as he gave them one of his rare smiles.

Kai placed the disposable camera on the dresser, he would take it to get the photos developed as he ran errands tomorrow. He went into the living room to check on Kaori and then the twins in the bedroom.

Hagi heard Kai moving around the living room and placed the girls gently in their bassinets as he promised to come again once he was well. He took one last glance at the giggly pair before he leapt from the window in a blue streak.

Kai entered the room, scratching the back of his neck. Observing the open window, Kai was certain he had closed it earlier, he caught a strong scent of roses and something… something familiar. He was sure it smelled like the jacket Saya had been desperately clinging to. Kai thought out loud, "Was he just here?"

As if to answer, the babies began to giggle and reach toward Kai.

Claudia was asleep on her side when Hagi returned. He put a bandaged hand on her temple and whispered, "I will be returning to New York with you, Sister. I suppose we will just have to put with each other for a while longer."

She caught his bandaged hand with hers as she feigned sleep and answered, "I look forward to it, Big Brother."

"I will take a shower. Get some rest, Sister, we have an early flight."

He let the heat of the water beat against his back and shoulders as it streamed down his legs, relaxing his tired muscles. He was healing quickly, the scars on his chest were a distant memory. He leaned his head back, letting the shower beat water against his scalp, washing the grit of sand from his hair. He scrubbed some rose scented shampoo in his hair, remembering how Claudia teased him of having such girly tastes. Loving memories of watching Saya admiring his locks of hair and commenting on how she loved the smell of roses that seemed to come from him.

There were other scents as well, the most prominent ones were from the cello he played- rosin and wax. But there were scents that seemed to come from deep within, no amount of scrubbing could wash away. The smell of an exotic incense and pine resin, the smell of the gypsy wagon where he had been born and raised. His past was a touchy subject that, thankfully, was rarely brought up. As a young child, the caravan made money by dancing, singing, and thieving. He learned to be proficient at this life. The brown eyed, burly man he called his father was suspicious about his son as soon as the boy was around 5 years old. Hagi did not look like him at all and the man knew his woman was not in the least a faithful woman. It was true that when the boy was born, she had amended her ways to try to become a family, but then the boy began to look more like one of her clients than her companion. She fell into her old ways and made money from it.

They never tried to protect their son from the truth. It was plainly obvious to the boy what his mother was as he watched her leave in her brazen outfits and his father would nurse a bottle until he lost all feeling. Their relief was palpable when the richly dressed Amshel came to take the boy from them in exchange for a loaf of bread.

_I am grateful to Amshel and Joel for buying me and bringing me to the Zoo to be Saya's companion,_ he thought._ I know they did not have pure intentions, but that is in the past. As soon as Saya regains her memory, I will ask her._

The air was salty and fresh as Hagi bid farewell to Saya. He kissed the bandaged hand and pressed it to the chrysalis. He turned to the place where George Myagusku rested and silently honored him, Riku, and Diva before he disappeared from the tomb. He hurried to the hotel to wake Claudia.

She was already waiting for him as she placed a light yellow scarf over a bright blue dress with a large orange floral print. Light yellow purse already on her shoulder as she slipped into her yellow wedge heels. Her bags were being loaded with Hagi's by the driver that her company had sent to get them- courtesy of the great Roberto. Claudia asked, "Have you said your goodbyes, Big Brother?"

Hagi answered from the door, "Yes."

She placed an expensive pair of sunglasses on her face and asked, "Who was watching us yesterday? Did you move Saya?"

Hagi answered, "I will explain on the plane."

She placed a manicured hand on his shoulder and said, "C'mon, Hagi, let's go home."

**A/N Well, we have come to the end of Part 2 of my story. I will be working very hard to post at least the first chapter of Life, Love, and Family Part 3 very soon as I know you are all anxious to see where I'm taking this story. Rest assured I am NOT going to abandon this work. I'm enjoying myself too much just writing it. By the way- reviews make my day!**


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